Star Trek: The Voyage of the Comet
by RickGiriamax
Summary: Stardate 50440.61 The USS Comet is about to leave spacedock. Axel is very excited because this would be his first assignment in command of a Starfleet Vessel. Will he be able to face the dangers of the Galaxy that are in store for him? Fan Fiction Story designed to be enjoyed as if it were a TV Show. I hope you like it. (Now with 2 or 3 Crossover Chapters) (CANCELLED)
1. LEGAL NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER

_**LEGAL NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER**_

All Star Trek related content present in this story is copyrighted and/or registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures.

This is a non-profit, non-commercial and fan made story devoted solely to the enjoyment of the Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry. This story and most of the characters portrayed were created by me as a Star Trek fan for non-commercial and completely recreational use.

All other copyrighted material, trademarks, and/or service marks cited in story, are registered to their respective owners. I'm not, in any way, affiliated with Paramount Pictures Inc, Viacom any other Star Trek related companies/entities.


	2. TIPS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THIS STORY

_**About the story**_:

**Timeline:** The story is developed during the original TNG timeline, beginning a few months after the launch of the Enterprise-E (October 30th, 2372).

**Stardates**: (see 'Note on Stardates' below).

**References and Crossovers**: I decided to include in this story some fictional creatures from other sci-fi movies/series as well (Predator, Aliens, Formics, etc.). They will appear on a random basis.

* * *

**_References_**:

**Wikipedia Articles**:

· Timeline of Star Trek

· List of Star Trek races

· Lists of Star Trek planets

· List of Starfleet starships ordered by class

· List of Star Trek characters

**Other Web References**:

· Star Trek: The Final Frontier - Planetary Classification

· The Stellar Cartography

· Warp Speed Calculator

· Stardate Calculator

· Memory Alpha

**Android Apps**:

· Star Trek Ships Database

· Stardate Free

* * *

_**Note on Stardates**_:

So we can understand the chronology of the events in this story, we must first understand that they are dated in 'Stardates'; but, ¿what is a Stardate?

According to the information I gathered before writing this story, stardates have a long history and have changed a lot during each season of each Star Trek Series. There have been various methods used by both fans and producers of the TV show and/or movies to calculate the stardates, so eventually it is very hard to keep track of the time and chronology of the series. This makes it especially hard to put together the story and try to create a logical sequence of events, as stardates can overlap or move forward or backwards from time to time.

What is a fact is that stardates were intended to help Starfleet, especially at its' remote locations, to keep track of the time when traveling at warp speed, and better handle the space-time continuum when going boldly where no man had gone before. Also, those who have seen 'Star Trek: Enterprise' know that the first time that a Starfleet vessel used stardates, was when fighting the Xindi in the Delphic Expanse, when Degra sent Archer the coordinates and a Stardate for a rendezvous point, so he could help him find and disable the Xindi planetary destruction weapon (ENT: "Damage", Season 3).

The method I will be using in this story may or may not be entirely accurate or chronologically correct, according to the one used for the TV show, however I found it to be fairly simple, and I found some tools that explained them simply enough (see 'References' above), and also helped me calculating the stardates (I advise that you use them as well so you can follow the chronology of the story easily).

To more accurately calculation of stardates, I will be using a webpage to calculate Stardates called Star Trek Stardate Calculator.


	3. MAIN CHARACTERS

**AXEL RICK VARGAS**: Main character of the story. His father is also a Starfleet officer, so eventually he decided to follow his steps. Reckless and daunting, he enjoys facing new challenges and getting himself into trouble. He becomes the captain of the USS Comet at age 27 and engages in a long journey to discover the mysteries of the galaxy.

* * *

**AMY HELLEN VARGAS**: Axels' sister. She discovered that her life dream was to be a medic, like her mother, when she accidentally shot her cousin with her father's phaser gun (thank goodness it was set to stun) and she healed his wounds by herself at the age of 9. She later became Chief Medical Officer when she is assigned to the USS Comet, by Axels' personal request. Even though she is barely less than two years older than her brother, she has a high impression and respect for him, as her Captain.

* * *

**DANIEL ROYCE**: Axels' roommate and best friend in Starfleet Academy. He takes care of Axel as the brother he never had, and has a slight crush for Amy, Axels' sister. Even though he didn't have a great start during his career, he becomes one of the most important characters of the story.

* * *

**DUVAK**: One of Amy's medical interns. He has a lot to offer, being Vulcan; however he keeps driving Amy nuts with his continuous logical medical approach, sometimes seeming to her that she is working with a psychologist.

* * *

**GALE SOTO**: (Lieutenant) Tactical Officer of the USS Comet. Having previously served on several ships before, he usually disagrees with Axels' decisions; nevertheless he always follows his orders, but not without stating how 'childishly reckless' his Captain seems to be.

* * *

**GIOVANNA VARGAS**: (Commander) Axel and Amy's mother. She serves as Chief Medical Officer on the USS Midgard. She though Amy everything she knew about Starfleet medicine, even before she joined the Academy.

* * *

**HENRY FOX**: (Ensign) Helmsman of the USS Comet. Being his first assignment as a helmsman, and being only 19 years old, he can't help showing his excitement every time he engages in a complicated maneuver.

* * *

**JACK PETERSON**: (Lt. Commander) Chief of Engineering on the USS Comet. A silent man.

* * *

**JODIE FARREL**: (Captain) Holds Command of the USS Kenya, Amy's first assignment. She isn't too fond of Axel, as he asked for Amy to be transferred to the Comet, but tries her best to be of assistance every time it's required.

* * *

**JOE MARKUS**: (Commander) Chief Science Officer of the USS Comet. Axel doesn't know this, but he was one of his father's best friends in the Academy. He is also Axels' first choice as First Officer.

* * *

**JENNA FOX**: (Ensign) Twin sister to Ens. Henry Fox, she is the Communications Officer of the USS Comet. Having grown all her life inspired by the history of Hoshi Sato, the Comm. Officer of the first Starship Enterprise (NX-01), she took up learning as many languages as she could. Funny thing is, she is fluent in most Klingon dialects, Romulan, Vulcan, Axanar, Rigelian, and many other complex languages; but goes through a living hell when trying Japanese.

* * *

**NOMA**: One of the most vicious antagonists of the story, Noma is one ruthless Romulan. His greatest desire is to see the Federation crushed by the Empire.

* * *

**P'VAL**: (Commander) The Vulcan who was initially assigned to the USS Comet as a Chief Medical Officer, Axel asked ADM. Jenkins to trade him for his sister, who was serving on the USS Kenya.

* * *

**RICK VARGAS**: (Admiral) Axel and Amy's father, Commanding Officer of the USS Midgard. He keeps writing his son to try and 'stay out of trouble', and teasing Amy about staying 'away from phaser guns'.

* * *

**SAMUEL JENKINS**: (Admiral) Axels' superior in Starfleet Command.

* * *

**TERAK**: (Commander) Native from Vulcan, he is one of the instructors at Starfleet Academy. He usually supervises the Kobayashi Maru test.

* * *

**WILLIAM WELCH**: (Lt. Commander) He was Axels' ranking officer on the USS Arlington. He was considered 'Lost in Action' during a raid on Rigel 10, when fighting off a group of Gorn Pirates. Axel made a promise to find him, as he fell to the hands of the Gorn trying to defend him.


	4. PROLOGUE

"_On this site, a powerful engine will be built, an engine that will someday help us to travel a hundred times faster than we can today. Imagine it: thousands of inhabited planets at our fingertips... and we'll be able to explore those strange new worlds, and seek out new life and new civilizations. This engine will let us go boldly... where no man has gone before_".

Zefram Cochrane, at the inauguration of the first Warp Five Complex

Bozeman, Montana

Year 2116

* * *

_**Starfleet Academy, stardate 41260.71**_

"Captain, we've received a distress call. It's a freighter called Kobayashi Maru. Their engines malfunctioned while crossing the Klingon Neutral Zone and are asking for immediate assistance. Starfleet Command orders that we help them".

"Roger that. Richards, put the ship on screen. Do we have any enemies on our sensors?"

"No Sir. All is clear".

"Proceed to transporter range. And get ready to begin rescue".

"Sir! Sensors are picking up multiple Klingon battle cruisers de-cloaking! Short-range scanners show 7 in total!"

"Understood. Red alert! Engage evasive maneuvers! Fire at will!"

"Captain, we're taking heavy damage to the hull. We've got reports of casualties on all decks".

"Sir, their shields are deflecting our phasers!"

With a show of sparks and parts jumping from all over the bridge, the simulation ended.

"Thank you, Mr. Vargas", said Commander Terak's voice on the speakers. "Your test results will be ready next week".

Axel Vargas stood up from the captain's chair in the simulation room, nodded once to the window in a corner and returned to his quarters.

* * *

"How in the world do they expect us to beat the Kobayashi Maru test?" asked Daniel, Axel's roommate.

"I don't really think they do", replied Axel. "There must be something they measure during the test that has nothing to do with tactical maneuvers".

"Still, there must be a way to rescue the freighter. It's too damn frustrating!"

Axel sat on his bed in silence for a moment, and then spoke up.

"I heard that someone beat the simulation once, long ago".

"Well, he was either a damn Vulcan or an Einstein. How did he or she do it?"

"He", said Axel twitching his mouth. "And he wasn't either one. He reprogrammed the simulator. Deactivated the shields for the Klingon and destroyed them".

They both started to laugh so hard that they didn't hear the doorbell until, whoever was calling, decided to come in anyways.

"Amy! What the hell!?" yelled Axel to his older sister. "Can't you just knock before barging in like that?"

"Oh, sorry little brother. Oh, wait, I did knock, I knocked for about 2 minutes, you dork!"

"Hi Amy!" said Daniel cheerfully. "Did you pass the..."

"Save it, Daniel", she said cutting him. "You know very well that nobody beats the Kobayashi Maru".

"Amy, what can I do for you?" asked Axel, trying to get his sister's attention.

"Dad sent a message; apparently they got a nacelle malfunction and will take them about 2 days to repair. And it would have been longer, but an Andorian ship found them on its way and is assisting them".

"Your dad is the Captain of the USS Midgard, isn't he?" asked Daniel.

"Yes, he is. Now, if don't mind, I have things to do", she said and left the room.

"Thank God I'm an only child", joked Daniel.

They both laughed and Axel set himself to work.

The rest of the week went by as slowly as it could be expected. But finally their results were received. Both Axel and Amy scored high. Daniel, on the other hand, didn't do so well but still made it. On the graduation ceremony, Admiral Jenkins began his speech while all of the graduates listened.

The graduation ceremony was finally over. Axel went with his sister and Daniel to get their orders.

"Hell yeah!" shouted Axel. "I got the USS Arlington!"

"Are you kidding me?" asked Daniel. "I got the USS Greenwich. Why did you get to serve in a Galaxy Class while I get stuck to an old Excelsior Class?"

"You got the Arlington?" asked Amy approaching them.

"I did, science department", replied Axel. "Daniel got the Greenwich. What about you?"

"I'll be on the medical department on the USS Kenya. Of course I might start as an assistant, but I intend to be Chief Medic one day".

"While I scrub the rust of the Greenwich's hull", said Daniel, surly.

"Cheer up, Daniel! You might end up as Chief Maintenance Officer!" teased Amy, and they all laughed.

"Don't worry, when I get to command my own ship, you'll stick with me, guys!" said Axel with a smile.

* * *

On the next day everything was packed. Their shuttles would depart from Hangar 27 and take them to space dock, were they would be taken to their respective starships.

"Don't forget to write", said Axel.

"Don't you, either", replied Daniel. "First one to forget is a Ferengi".

They both laughed, even though it was the same joke they had been using since school. They boarded their respective transports and set to their destinations.


	5. CHAPTER 1: THE ROAD TO PHOENIX PRIME

**_Phoenix Prime Colony, 5.4 ly from Earth, Mayor's Office_**

_Mayor's Log, stardate 50440.61_

_Our resources are becoming scarce. We can barely sustain ourselves any longer. If the Romulan keep stealing our supplies or, as they call it, make us 'pay tribute to the Praetor' for another month, we won't be able to feed ourselves. _

_I have sent a distress call to Starfleet on Earth, and they told me that they're getting a starship ready to send us supplies. It will be leaving spacedock in a few days, so we still have some time before they get here. Hope the Romulan don't show up before that._

Mayor Butler was having a rough term. Not that people in the Phoenix Prime colony were difficult to deal with (even though there were about 3780 settlers in town), but ever since the Romulan started to come and take a 'tribute' of half of their supplies the colony was beginning to break apart.

So far, supply distribution was working quite well. Every family got exactly what they needed and there were no problems among the settlers because someone got more than that. Crime was reduced to having to stop pedestrians from crossing a street while there was traffic, and the colony had begun to thrive.

Since the Romulan started coming, the colony's problems began: people started fighting for supplies, killing their neighbors for food or medicine, and so on. Instead of uniting against their oppressors, the colony was falling apart. Mayor Butler had to get special security, to prevent any attempt against his life.

It was late at night when he decided to call it a day. He got up from his desk and pressed a button in the wall. There was a beep signaling the open channel.

"Unox, here", said a voice over the speaker. It was the head of Mayor Butler's security.

"Unox, I'm going home, now".

"Roger that, Mayor. I'll be there in five minutes".

Five minutes later, there was a beep at the door. Mayor Butler got his briefcase and opened the door, just to find a phaser pointing at his chest. The Romulan holding it gave him a smile and nudged him into the office.

"Well, well, well. Mayor Butler, aren't you happy with the surprise?"

"Noma, I... I wasn't expecting you!" Mayor Butler's voice trembled.

"We don't need to make an appointment".

"W... where is Unox?"

"Tried to stop me, so he's dead".

"What... what do you want? We don't have the tribute yet".

"Don't try to take me for a fool, Mayor. Did you really think we wouldn't monitor your communications? We know that you called Starfleet".

"It's not what you think. We only asked for supplies, I swear".

"Did you, now?" Noma lowered his weapon. "We will take half of everything they bring".

"What!? No, please! We are starving!"

"Shall I make it be two thirds?"

Mayor Butler fell silent. Noma turned around and, before existing, he spoke again.

"If we ever discover that the Federation is given warning of our business here, we will destroy your puny colony and whoever comes in your aid". With those last words, he left.

Mayor Butler stood still for a moment. He felt helpless. He went over to the window of his office and saw Noma boarding a shuttle, leaving several Romulan soldiers behind. So, he was now a prisoner in his own office? The worst thing was that he couldn't alert Starfleet about the situation, so they were now coming to a trap.

* * *

**_Romulan D'deridex Class Battle Cruiser, orbit of Phoenix Prime_**

Noma got off from the shuttle and went to the bridge. He sat on his chair and pressed a button on his chair so he could address the entire crew of the ship.

"We are expecting company. A Federation starship is heading this way and will be arriving in a few days. We will conceal ourselves behind one of the moons and cloak the ship until they arrive. If they make any attempt to fight, we will destroy them! For the Praetor!"

The rest of the crew cheered and ran to their posts, while the cloaking device was activated and the cruiser prepared for the ambush.

* * *

**_Jupiter Spaceyard_**

_Axel Vargas' personal log, stardate 50536.18_

_Today I will be making my first inspection of my new starship. Having being promoted to Captain is my life's dream, so obviously I'm very excited about this. I've been assigned to a new starship named USS Comet, a brand new Sovereign Class. I also just met my Chief Engineer, Commander Jack Peterson. I was told by Admiral Jenkins that he is the finest engineer that Starfleet could get me, so I'm sure we'll work fine._

_Departure is scheduled for two days from now. I can't wait to get out of spaceyard._

The USS Comet was a maze. Axel got lost about three times before he could get to the mess hall. He could see the construction crew finishing with the last details and the crew was accommodating in their quarters. He saw Amy, now Chief Medical Officer, in her blue uniform, talking to an Axanar assistant. He remembered specifically asking Admiral Jenkins for her transfer to the Comet several days ago:

"I understand Axel; however she is still serving on the USS Kenya. Captain Farrell won't be pleased to let her go".

"Please, Admiral. I need someone who I can trust to take care of my crew, and there is no one I trust better than my own sister".

"I have your roster here, and I can see that your current Chief Medical Officer is Lieutenant P'Val. ¿You really prefer having your sister instead of a Vulcan?"

"She's the best medic of the fleet. There's a reason why Farrell wants Amy. If P'Val was better, then it would be Farrell asking for the transfer, not me".

Three days later, Amy had been transferred to the USS Comet, while Lt. P'Val was reassigned to the Kenya.

Axel entered his quarters and found everything placed exactly as he requested: even the little model of the Ambassador Class starship that his father commanded, the USS Midgard, was set on top of his desk, right next to his family picture on the day he and Amy joined Starfleet. Mounted on the wall was a board with his rank history: Ensign, Lieutenant, and Lt. Commander on the USS Arlington; Commander (also serving as First Officer) on the USS Norrington; and finally his title as Captain.

He lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling for a while, remembering his early days in space. It made him smile to realize it had been nearly 10 years since he graduated from the Academy. 'Time does fly', he thought. During all these years he had been in touch with Daniel, his best friend from the Academy, who was now First Officer on the USS Sacramento, somewhere in the Romulan Neutral Zone. He had even seen him when the Norrington joined the Sacramento in a battle against a couple of Orion pirates who were attempting to raid a Federation science outpost.

Now, he finally had command of his own vessel, none other than a brand new Sovereign Class cruiser, like the recently commissioned USS Enterprise-E (he had actually had the honor of being on San Francisco Fleet Yards when the Enterprise left on her maiden voyage).

A few minutes later, someone knocked bringing him back to the present.

"Come in" he said.

"Good morning… Captain", said Amy when entering his quarters.

"Hi Amy, what can I do for you?" asked Axel while getting up.

"Did you know I have a Vulcan as an intern on sickbay? You know I don't like Vulcan".

"Sorry sister, but you'll have to get along with him. After all, I've heard a lot of good things about Vulcan medicine. Did you know that they can ease a migraine just by touching a few spots in your arm?"

"Yes, it's called neuro-pressure. Listen, I'll try to get along, but I can't promise anything".

"Thanks, I've gone through a lot of trouble to get the best medical officer Starfleet could get, and I think she is professional enough to deal with a Vulcan".

"Thanks" said Amy trying to suppress a proud smile. Flattery always worked with his sister. "I'll leave you to your duties then, Captain. Lots of things to do, I suppose".

"You're right, Doc. You may be dismissed".

Amy left and, a few minutes later, Axel paged Cdr. Peterson to meet him in engineering. He wanted to check the warp drive first.

As days went by, finally the moment to launch arrived. The whole crew of the ship was already onboard, warp reactor was warming up, construction crew was already leaving and construction ships and probes were getting away from the ship.

The bridge was already getting crowded and crew members were getting to their respective stations. When he walked in, he heard someone say 'Officer on deck!', and everyone turned around to look at him. It made him smile to see this. He felt confidence running through his veins with every heartbeat, so he put everyone at ease and walked slowly to the Captain's Chair.

When he sat down, he pressed a button on his armchair so he could address the whole ship. He already knew what to say, as Admiral Jenkins had spoken to him about their first mission, so he took a deep breath and began his speech.

"Welcome all of you to the USS Comet. I'm Captain Axel Vargas. You were all chosen to serve on this ship either because of your remarkable performance in the academy, or your reputation on service on previous vessels. It is my pleasure then to welcome you all on board.

"We have a lot of road ahead of us. Mostly our mission is exploratory, but first we need to provide assistance to the colony in Phoenix Prime. They are running low on supplies and Starfleet has asked us to get them some.

"To those who are fresh out of the academy, it is my desire that you stick to experienced officers. That way you can learn as much as you can in a short period of time.

"We will be leaving spacedock in 10 minutes, so I want everyone buckled-up and remember, keep your hands and head inside the vehicle at all time (chuckles from the crew). We will set course for Phoenix Prime and then... well, we'll see where the road takes us.

"Once again, welcome aboard".

He shut down the speakers and he saw everyone smiling at him. One of the crew members approached him and shook his hand. He was a strong man in his early fifties, and of African ascendance. When he spoke he had a strong deep voice:

"Commander Joe Markus, Chief Science Officer, pleased to meet you, Captain".

"Same to you, Commander. I understand Starfleet Command assigned you to this ship as First Officer. I've been reading your references and they're quite impressive".

"Thank you Captain. It's an honor to serve with you. I know your father and he is a remarkable man. He actually saved my life once".

"Is that so? My father rarely talks about his experience. He always tries that me and my sister gain our own without having pre-conceptions from him".

"That's the Rick Vargas I know" said Cdr. Markus with a chuckle. "He promised to me that his son would one day be the best Fleet Commander that the Federation could get, so I suppose we're about to find out".

"We will, Commander" said Axel with a smile. "We will".

The time to depart finally came, everyone took their posts and Axel gave the long-expected order to the helmsman:

"Mr. Fox, take us out".

Anchors were released, and the USS Comet began gaining distance from spacedock.

"Captain, warp core is ready", announced Cdr. Peterson through the speakers. "We can jump to warp at any time".

"Thank you, Mr. Peterson. You heard him, Mr. Fox, set course for Phoenix Prime. Engage warp, factor 7".

The nacelles of the USS Comet lit and the ship jumped to warp for the first time.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, traveling at warp 7 to Phoenix Prime_**

_Captain's Log, stardate 50538.84_

_We still have 2 days left before we arrive at Phoenix Prime. Life on the USS Comet is as exciting as it can be in space. So far we haven't had any problems with our systems and Mr. Peterson reports everything is working fine. We've tried hailing the colony several times; however we can't seem to be able to get messages through. There must be something jamming the frequencies on their end, as Ens. Jenna Fox has told me that she can't find any inconveniences with our comlink._

_Cdr. Markus has told me that it may be the result of flares or space storms, but I have a doubt and keep thinking that something smells fishy. I have ordered Lt. Soto to raise shields as soon as we enter the system. I can't help thinking that we may encounter trouble sooner than we expected._

Axel got of the turbolift that took him to Engineering and was met by Cdr. Peterson.

"We've tried to isolate each one of the systems, Captain, and we still can't find the reason why we keep getting static. It makes no sense".

"Have you checked for radiation leaks from the warp core? Could that be creating interference?"

"No way, Captain" blurted a blonde freckled boy with a strong Brooklyn accent. "Sorry to interrupt, Terry Young, sir. Pleased to meet you. I'm honest, Captain, I've been checking and that is not an option. Besides, if we had any radiation leaks we would all be pissing green, if you pardon me for the reference".

"No problem, Crewman. Tell me, do you have any hypothesis about this?" asked Axel.

"I'm sorry sir, but I have no idea. Maybe the communication buoy is damaged or something like that. Do you want me to re-calibrate the sensor array to verify it?"

"Yes, Mr. Young. Please do that".

Terry Young nodded and left through a hatch.

"Well, I guess that was a fair explanation of the situation down here" said Cdr. Peterson.

"No problem then. Let's see how that goes. I'll be expecting your report".

"Aye, sir" nodded Cdr. Peterson and Axel returned to the bridge.

When he entered the room, he sat in his chair and asked Ens. Jenna Fox, his Comm. Officer, for status report on the comlink.

"Nothing, sir. Still getting static" she said.

"Have you picked up any distress calls?" asked Axel.

"No, sir. It's as if they were dead silent".

"Helmsman, how long 'till we reach Phoenix Prime?"

"Less than two days at current speed, sir" replied Ensign Henry Fox.

"Accelerate to warp 8; I want to get there fast. Somehow I've got a feeling that the colony is in danger".

"Yes, sir. Accelerating to warp 8".

The USS Comet launched forward with the speed increment.

"We'll be arriving to Phoenix Prime in less than 12 hours, Captain".

"excellent. Mr. Markus, I want you to engage long-range scanners as soon as we get within range of the colony. See if you can find any signs of trouble: enemy starships, debris, plasma signatures, whatever you can find".

"Yes, Captain. And what if we find something?"

"If you find any vessels, try hailing them. Go to yellow alert before dropping out of warp. Don't engage unless we are certain that they are enemies".

* * *

**_Phoenix Prime Colony, Mayor's Office_**

"You better keep your word, Mayor" said Noma on Mayor Butler's screen.

"I won't give any hint of your presence here, I swear"

"If I were to find out that you asked for help, you can kiss your colony good-bye"

"Ok, ok. But please, allow us to communicate with them. If we don't hail them, they will suspect".

"Remember, Mayor: not… a… word".

"I swear… I swear".

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, in orbit at Phoenix Prime_**

_Captain's Log, supplemental_

_We've dropped out of warp at Phoenix Prime and I have asked my officers to gather in the briefing room with me. We've spent the whole morning running scans of the sector and trying to communicate with the colony, but so far we haven't found anything strange, and our messages still don't go through. We must determine our next course of action before sending an armed landing party, but the fact that we haven't received any welcome messages can only mean one thing: trouble._

"Radio is still silent, sir" said Ens. Jenna Fox. "I tried hailing the surface but nothing seems to go through".

"Mr. Soto", said Axel to his Tac. Officer, "Have you been able to detect any readings that indicate recent combat?"

"No sir. Sensors don't show anything unusual".

"Anyone would think we are not being expected" said Cdr. Markus. "I thought they would be eager to get their supplies!"

_"__Bridge to Captain Vargas" _said a voice over the speaker.

"Vargas, here" replied Axel.

"We're getting a transmission from the surface. It's faint, sir, audio only".

"Put it through to the briefing room".

At first, it was mostly static, but then they were able to catch someone speaking over the noise.

"…come Comet. This … Mayor …tler. Sorry we c…ldnt reach … before but we've had pro…s with our sa…ite".

"Greetings, Mayor, this is Captain Axel Vargas. We were starting to get worried about you. Do you require any assistance?"

"Neg…ive, Capt…n Varg…s. We can handle … situati…n. We will try …nding you lan…ing coord…ates so you can give us … supp…s".

"No problem then, Mayor. Please let us know when we can get down to business. Vargas out".

Transmission ended and silence fell over the briefing room.

"Somehow I don't buy that" said Cdr. Markus.

"Yeah, me neither" agreed Axel. "Please Mr. Markus, I want you to run another scan, but this time try scanning for the colony's communication satellite. Please review your results with Peterson and let me know what you find".

"What will happen when we get their landing coordinates?" asked Jenna.

"Mr. Soto, can you get an armed landing team ready? We might need to send an escort with the supplies".

"Expecting a firefight, Captain?" asked Lt. Soto.

"I hope not to go that way, but we need to take precautions. Still, we won't make a move until I get the results from the scans. Dismissed".

Everyone returned to their posts while Axel went to his quarters to review the history of the Phoenix Prime colony. So far he couldn't understand what was going on: there weren't any records of ion storms or any space disturbances that could damage the communications satellite. Diplomatic relations had been running without any issues during the past 10 years, so he doubted that a war or siege could be in place.

A few minutes later, a beep on his door let him know he had visits.

"Come in" he said.

"Excuse me, captain" said Jenna, stepping into his quarters. "I was revising the transmission from Mayor Butler and I found something strange".

"You did? Explain, please" he replied with interest.

"Well, it seems to be that Mayor Butler's is not the only signal in the transmission. There are actually two signals: one from the surface, and one from unknown origin. It doesn't seem much like another message, it's more like a jamming frequency".

"A jamming frequency? Are you implying that the colony is being sieged?"

"Could be, sir. I couldn't be sure just yet. It can also be as Mayor Butler said: just a glitch on their satellite".

Another beep at the door.

"Come in" said Axel.

"Captain, Ensign" said Mr. Markus, while he and Peterson entered the room. "We just finished checking the readings from our scanners and they seem to be completely normal, except that there seems to be a continuous flow of an indistinct transmission going through it. I couldn't be sure but I would guess it's a…"

"Jamming signal?" finished Axel. "Ens. Fox here was just explaining the same thing to me. There were two transmissions overlapped when Mayor Butler contacted us: one from the surface and another one from an unknown source".

He stood up and motioned the three visitors to follow him to the bridge. Axel sat on his chair and signaled Jenna to open a communication channel.

"Ready, sir. Hailing frequency open" said Jenna.

"Mayor Butler, this is Captain Vargas. Can you read me?"

"…tain Varg…s, I was ab…t to contact you".

Axel looked at Cdr. Markus, who nodded, and continued with the conversation.

"I assume that you were going to give us the landing coordinates".

"Yes, y…s. I'm sending t…m r…ght away. We'll … expecting …, Cap…n".

"Perfect then. Vargas out".

* * *

On the next day, supplies had been loaded into 4 shuttles. Lt. Soto had provided him with 5 armed crewmen from ship's security so they could serve as escort.

Axel wasn't sure what to expect, but one thing he was certain: this first mission wasn't going to be as easy as they had been led to think.


	6. CHAPTER 2: SIEGED

**_Phoenix Prime Colony, Landing Platform B_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50541.32_

_We're beginning our descent into the Phoenix Prime Colony and expect to be greeted by Mayor Butler himself. We've spent the whole morning getting everything ready for the supply transport, so now we can only hope for the best. I will be taking Lt. Soto and Cdr. Peterson with me, along with an armed escort. Who knows what will we find down there?_

The descent into the planet was smooth. They arrived into the coordinates provided by Mayor Butler, just outside of the borders of the settlement.

Phoenix Prime was a class H planet, so eventually the first thing that greeted the landing party was the heat of the desert. Axel covered his eyes with his hand, blocking the sunlight, and saw a group of people coming their way.

They were greeted by the Mayor and about 20 shrouded men, who were there to assist with the unloading, recount and storage of the supplies brought to them. What made Axel unsettled was the fact that Mayor Butler seemed to be continuously nervous. He couldn't help to notice the way he kept toying with one of his finger rings, twisting it continuously while looking at the armed escort that were part of the landing party.

"You will find that everything is accounted and exactly as promised" said Axel addressing to Mayor Butler.

"Yes, yes. That's good. You have no idea of how needed are these supplies".

"Don't worry, Mayor" replied Axel. After thinking for a few seconds, he added: "We would like a tour through your settlement, Mayor, if that's not a problem. You know, this is my first visit here so I would like to spend some time getting to know the colony".

This seemed to alter Mayor Butler. He began looking over his shoulder and at the men who were loading the cargo into several vehicles for transportation into the warehouses. Axel noticed that all of them had their faces well covered, and he couldn't help but to have a strange sensation about them. He dismissed the thought, believing that his adventurous-paranoiac spirit was going too far this time.

"Is everything OK, Mayor?" asked Axel with caution.

"Yes, yes. Well I'm sorry; it's just that it would be too appropriate to give you all a tour. Settlers have been a bit agitated because of the scarce resources and are a little jumpy when it comes to strangers. I hope you understand this, Captain".

"Don't worry, then. I only meant myself and a couple of my officers, however. But we don't want to be of any trouble, so if you prefer I can invite you over to the Comet and invite you to dinner" replied Axel.

He hadn't noticed that one of the pawns had stopped working and was staring at them, until Mayor Butler looked at him and then returned to Axel. He wasn't sure how to read the expression on Mayor's face, but he was sure he wasn't delighted. Could he have been offended by the invitation?

"That won't be possible either, Captain. I'm a very busy man" he looked around and saw that all of the supplies had been loaded. I'm sorry, but I must return to my office. I really appreciate for your support here, Captain".

"My pleasure" replied Axel, now sure that something wasn't right. "Are you certain that there is nothing else we can do for you? You seem to be quite agitated".

"Please, Captain!" said Mayor Butler, now seeming frustrated. "I've told you that it's nothing we can't handle. Thanks a lot for your help".

Without waiting for a reply, Mayor Butler jumped into one of the vehicles and joined the convoy into town. Axel had a very unsettling feeling that something was definitely wrong.

"Strange man, isn't he?" asked Lt. Soto, approaching him.

"I'm not sure, but I would guess he hasn't been honest about the reason he doesn't want us to visit the settlement. He seemed to be very nervous. Did you get to talk to any of the pawns?"

"No, sir. They were silent as a tomb all the time. Only made gestures to each other."

"Strange. Well, we should be getting back to the Comet now". Axel pressed his combadge and hailed the Comet. "Comet, this is Captain Vargas. We're coming back now".

The landing party boarded the shuttles and returned to the Comet. Mayor Butler watched the 4 shuttles ascend from a window in the warehouse. One of the pawns was with him. He uncovered his face revealing his pointy ears. The Romulan watched the 4 shuttles raise into until they disappeared and spoke:

"You did well, Mayor. Commander Noma will be pleased that you kept your promise".

"I don't see how I could have broken it, having all of you right there. I wouldn't have been able to break my oath, even if I have tried: you would have fried me in the spot, and killed all of them as well".

"You're a wise man, Mayor. I can see why the Commander likes to… make business… with you".

The rest of the Romulan guards laughed at this. Mayor Butler was on the verge of screaming. He felt so hopeless and he knew that he was alone in this.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, orbiting Phoenix Prime_**

_Captain's log, supplemental_

_We've just got back from the surface. Mayor Butler has been very straight about wanting us to leave as soon as possible, but his general attitude was that of a man under a lot of pressure. I can't help thinking that something very bad is going on, so we've decided to beam down a party tonight, directly inside of the of the settlement._

_Mr. Soto has argued about this, stating that it is rude to barge into the city like that, when the Mayor has refused to accept us inside, but later on he agreed that there is no other way of knowing exactly what is going on._

_To avoid any suspicion, we shall be disguised as settlers, so we must try to be as inconspicuous as possible. Drawing too much attention would risk blowing our cover._

"Sir" said Ens. Jenna, "I just finished sending a message to Mayor Butler. They are now under the impression that we are delaying our departure due to a system malfunction".

"Thank you, ensign". He turned to Lt. Soto. "Is the landing party ready?"

"They're finishing getting suited, sir. Mr. Peterson is already waiting for us in the transporter room".

"Perfect. We hope that this goes as smooth as possible, so we don't want to make any mistakes. Mr. Markus, you have the bridge 'till we get back".

"Yes, Captain" acknowledged Cdr. Markus.

A few minutes later, the landing party was beamed down behind an abandoned hut near the inner side of the settlement wall. The group was formed by Axel, Lt. Soto, Cdr. Peterson, and 5 other armed crewmen. They were all wearing old dirty clothing with matching hooded cloaks, similar to the ones they have seen that the pawns that assisted during the unloading of supplies wore.

The street next to the hut seemed to be deserted. The only sound they could hear was that of a teapot whistling, and a few indistinct voices, inside a house nearby. The sky was full of stars, because of the new moon, and Axel could see a couple of four-winged birds soaring away.

They decided to first send a scout to probe the terrain before venturing any further into the colony, so they hid inside of the hut for a while. Axel stood by a boarded window peering through a crack between the boards. Lt. Soto and the rest of the team were checking their equipment, while they all waited for the scout to return.

Several minutes later, Axel saw the scout return. They opened the door and closed it again when he was inside.

"What's the status, crewman?" asked Axel impatient.

"Not much, Captain. Very few people outside. Seems to be they are having a rough time here, though, and I overheard something about tired of their current situation. I think I hear someone mention the word 'tribute'. Doesn't make any sense".

"Did you see any guards, or any indication that the colony might be under a tyranny or signs of a curfew?" asked Lt. Soto.

"Nothing like that, sir. But I did see a bunch of cloaked men walking in a hurry. I think they were some of the pawns that assisted during the supply delivery. I heard them say something, but I couldn't guess what it was, I didn't understand their language".

"Hmm… strange" said Axel, thoughtfully. He stood up and hailed the Comet. "Captain Vargas to the Comet. Mr. Markus, I need your assistance".

"Markus, here. What can I do for you, sir?" said Cdr. Markus over the comlink.

"Do you know if Phoenix Prime Colony includes any alien races among the settlers?"

"Not that I know, Captain. I'm under the impression that a Tellorite vessel came by a few weeks ago, but they only needed to repair their sensor array, so they didn't even send a landing party, but only stayed in orbit".

"I understand. The thing here, Commander, is that we sent Crewman Mathews to scout the colony, and he overheard some people talking in a language he couldn't recognize". After thinking for a couple seconds, he added "I need you to please scan the planet for any non-wild and non-human bio-signatures and please let me know what you can find".

"Aye, sir. Give me a few minutes".

"Very well. Vargas out". He turned around and addressed the rest of the group: "We should wait for their results. As much adventurous at it can be, I don't want to risk engaging a hostile group without having knowledge of what we'll be facing".

"Captain, do you really think that we'll come to a fight?" Asked one of the crewmen.

"I'm not sure", replied Axel, "but I'm guessing that something big is going on, and we may have to save this colony from falling into ruins".

"This is one hell of a first mission, Captain", said Lt. Soto with a smirk.

* * *

**_Romulan D'deridex Class Battle Cruiser, concealed behind Phoenix Prime's Moon_**

Commander Noma was in his quarters, checking on some of the readings from their last scan of the Federation starship orbiting the planet. It had a weapon array he had never seen before on a human vessel, so he was trying to design a plan to destroy it without dying in the process. He was no fool, so he knew that the Federation ship had an advantage in combat.

The readings also showed that their shields were still up but weapons weren't charged. Could it be that they suspected that something was going on? He had allowed Mayor Butler to communicate and the supplies had been delivered, under close supervision of his soldiers posted on the surface.

He had been reported that the human Captain, a young boy named Vargas, was very interested in conversing with the Mayor, but the old man had been smart enough to turn him down without saying a word about them. However, the report also mentioned that the Mayor showed too much nervousness during the encounter, which may have made the young captain suspect.

While he was finishing his analysis, there was a knock on his door.

"Come in" he commanded.

"Sorry to disturb you sir" said one of his crewmen, his communications officer, stepping into the room. "We've picked up another transmission between the Federation starship and the colony".

"Yes? What was it?"

"Apparently something malfunctioned on the starship and they are holding position in orbit for repairs".

"Good, more time to figure out how to destroy them while they're vulnerable".

"That's what we thought sir, but the problem is that not long ago they lowered their shields and beamed down a party into the colony. We've got the place pinpointed and targeted. A few minutes later, however, there was another transmission, this time between the starship and the landing party. This time they seemed to be some sort of encryption, as we weren't able to overhear what they…"

"Bridge to Cdr. Noma!" shouted a voice over a speaker on the wall.

"What is it!?" shouted back Noma annoyed, by the interruption.

"Sorry, sir, but the Federation vessel has initiated a bio-scan on the planet! Our cover will be blown at any moment!"

"FAELIRH CH'SUSSE-THRAI!" (Romulan expression for S.O.B.), swore Cdr. Noma. "Send our soldiers on the surface to intercept the humans! They must not let the Federation discover our business here!"

"Understood, sir!"

Noma turned off the speaker while still swearing under his breath. Federation had been meddling into Romulan affairs for far too long. It was time to teach them a lesson.

* * *

**_Phoenix Prime Colony_**

"Romulan bio-signs? Are you sure, Mr. Markus?" asked Axel through the comlink.

"Quite certain, Captain. There must be about 20 of them posted all around the colony. We've got to be careful, sir. They mustn't know that you are there".

"Don't worry, commander. If we get in any trouble, we'll get out as fast as we can. Vargas out". Axel turned back to his team. "Set your phasers to stun and be on your guard at all time".

They left the hut and walked down the street. They saw a few people outdoors, but mainly putting out the garbage or emptying a bucket of water. One of them actually saw the group, dropped the empty bucked in his hand and ran inside again. Apparently, it hadn't been such a good idea to dress up as the pawns did, especially now that Axel suspected that the pawns had been Romulan guards in disguise.

They were walking by a mossy and cracked stone statue in the middle of what could be the colony main square, when a phaser blast hit the wall in front of him. They all ducked and formed a circle, pointing their phaser guns outwards and trying to find the source of the attack. An unexpected explosion nearby made them all turn that direction and duck again, while another phaser blast hit one of the men straight on the chest.

"Wallace is down!" yelled one of the crewmen, named Hicks.

"Cover him!" shouted Lt. Soto, while shooting in the direction that the blast came.

All around them, phaser blasts tried to hit them, while they fired back. One of them nearly missed Lt. Soto by a couple inches, but the blast of the explosion behind him made him fall on his face. Crewman Hicks dragged Wallace out of the line of fire and saw the burned circle on his chest.

"He's dead" said Hicks, after checking Wallace's pulse.

"As you all will be!" shouted a Romulan, coming into the square with his phaser out, flanked by a group of 6 hooded Romulan soldiers.

All around them, Romulan soldiers came into the town square pointing out phaser guns and rifles. Axel looked at them all trying to assess the situation.

"No need to more of your men to die, Human… for now" said the leader. "Hand over your weapons and you shall not die today".

"What business do you have here, on Phoenix Prime?" Asked Axel, still trying to find a way out.

"You are in no position to ask questions. This is your last chance. Drop your weapons and you shall live at least one more day".

Axel doubted for a moment, looked at the rest of his team and nodded. He dropped his weapon and gave two steps back. The rest of his men did the same, while the Romulan walked among them, picking up the dropped phaser guns.

"Very nice, captain" said the leader of the Romulan. "I think you should now meet the _real_ mayor of this colony".


	7. CHAPTER 3: HOSTAGE

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, orbit of Phoenix Prime_**

_Acting Captain's log, stardate 50544.99_

_Our recent efforts to contact our landing party, Captain Vargas amongst them, have been unsuccessful. It's been nearly four hours since we last heard from the Captain, and ever since then none of our communication attempts have gone through._

_Our only guess is that they must have been ambushed by the Romulans, so we must now find a way to get them back to the Comet._

"Have you already tried to get a lock on them for transport?" asked Cdr. Markus to one of the crewmen at the transporter room.

"It's impossible, sir" he replied. "There must be some sort of force or dampening field surrounding them; or maybe they have gone underground".

"Can we beam someone down?"

"We could, but only at their last known location. I have no way of knowing where they are now".

"Thank you, crewman. I'm not sure why these green-blooded demons are here, but we better do something soon. The Captain might be in grave danger".

* * *

**_Phoenix Prime Colony, underground storage facility_**

Axel had lost track of the time he had spent tied up to that chair. His face hurt where the Romulan leader, named Vaebn, had punched him during interrogation; his body was sore because of spending so much time sitting in that wooden chair, and the blindfold covering his eyes was wet with a mixture of sweat and the blood from the wound on his forehead.

His face was storming with so many theories of what was going on: were the Romulans keeping the colony under siege? If so, why hadn't Starfleet been informed? They had received a distress call asking for emergency supplies but, had it all been a set-up to lure the Federation into an ambush? Or, had the Romulans arrived after the call had been sent? Could it be possible (though he doubted so) that Mayor Butler was working with the Romulans, trying to get some personal gain, and his nervousness before was due to his fear of being discovered? Why had he asked then for Federation assistance, and not for his allies'?

His thoughts were driving him insane. Suddenly, the door of the room opened and someone removed the wet rag from his eyes. Mayor Butler was standing in front of him, escorted by two Romulan guards. He seemed to be very uncomfortable.

"Mayor…" sighed Axel, unable to conceal the disappointment in his voice, but barely able to speak.

"Captain…" replied the Mayor. "I told you to leave immediately. You should have listened to me".

"What… now? You're hav…ing dealings… with the Romulans?" managed to ask Axel over the pain.

"No, please, my Captain. You're getting all of this wrong. I'm nowhere near happy with the current Romulan siege on this colony… you see, what happens is…"

"Shut up!" shouted one of the guards, making Mayor Butler jump. "Go back to your home, Mayor, and stay out of the way!"

Mayor Butler nodded with fear and left the room without another word, leaving the two guards behind him. Axel's mind was full of chaos. So, the Mayor had nothing to do with the current situation, except for being a puppet. He remembered that Vaebn had told him, when they were captured, that he would meet the '_real Mayor_'. Who had he been referring to?

He hoped Cdr. Markus would be smart enough to inform Starfleet Command about the situation on Phoenix Prime, and let them determine a course of action before more Romulans could arrive. Axel didn't want a foolish rescue attempt that would only lead to more casualties. He had only been in command for 4 days… and he had already lost a man.

"So… you're the Human scum that the Federation scum sent to aid this forsaken colony" said a voice from the door, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Axel looked up and saw a Romulan smirking at him. He was tall, bald headed and dark eyed. He wasn't clad in dirty robes like the others, but was dressed in fine Romulan warrior armor. Axel saw him set another chair a meter away in front of him and then sit down on it, always looking at him with scorn. Another Romulan guard walked next to Axel and jabbed a hypospray on his neck. He began feeling less sore and pained instantly, but started feeling lightheaded and drowsy instead.

"Your life has been too short, Captain. It will be a shame having to spill your blood so soon" said the Romulan.

"Then let me go and I can spill yours instead" said Axel feeling dizzy. "I'm sure you've lived long enough".

The Romulan laughed at this. "Come on, Captain. You're in no position to issue any threats".

"Who are you, and what do you want?" asked Axel.

"You're so inquisitive, young captain. I'm Commander Noma, Captain of the Imperial Romulan Warbird S'Hauen, of the Romulan Star Empire, a mere servant of the Praetor. We only stopped by to collect the tribute that this colony has kindly agreed to pay each month, so we leave them alone".

"I guess your promise isn't worth much, then. You seem to have a very nice curfew in town".

"Now, now, Captain. The curfew is only because of you. If you hadn't come meddling, as the Federation usually likes to do, we wouldn't be here having this conversation. We would have taken our share of supplies back to Romulus and you would be on your way to wherever you were planning to go next".

"Starfleet won't let you continue doing this".

"Starfleet will never know!" yelled Noma, standing up. He calmed down for a few seconds and continued talking, while pacing around Axel. "Your pathetic Federation will fall to the hands of the Praetor. You will never get out from here. The S'Hauen is currently aiming at your ship, so if we detect any signs that your people try to interfere again, we'll blow it out of orbit".

Axel didn't take his eyes from Noma. He feared that if he did the Romulan would know how afraid he was of the situation. If he could only contact the Comet, he would be able to explain Mr. Markus what was going on; however, he knew that they were several feet underground, so any communication attempt would be futile.

"You see, Captain" continued Noma, "I'm in complete control of the situation. There is nothing you or your precious Starfleet can do to change the fact that you lost this time".

Axel only stared at him, while the Romulan laughed his lungs out and left the room.

* * *

**_IRW S'Hauen, orbiting Phoenix Prime_**

Noma returned to his ship. When he got out of the transporter room, he was greeted by one of the crewmen from the bridge.

"Commander, we've engaged orbit behind the Federation starship" he said.

"Excellent! We should stay like this. When I give the order, open fire. There are some things that must be done first".

Noma returned to his quarters and opened one of the drawers and extracted a box. It was made of polished wood and had golden hinges. Noma opened the box with reverence and saw the large and elegant Romulan Honor Sword in its velvet interior. It was about time that it spilled blood again.

* * *

**_Phoenix Prime Colony_**

Axel was taken by Vaebn through a set of hallways. Being dizzy and blindfolded, he couldn't fully remember every turn they took. Suddenly, he felt the wind blowing, meaning that he had been taken outside again. Vaebn opened the door of a vehicle and tossed Axel inside, closing the door behind him.

"Don't get any stupid ideas, human" said Vaebn. "One foolish attempt to escape and we'll blast you into tiny bits".

"Like I have the strength to do anything" said Axel with annoyance.

"You humans are mouthy creatures" said one of the Romulan guards, sitting next to Vaebn on the driver seat.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Axel, ignoring the Romulan's comment.

"Don't ask any questions, and you shall live longer" was Vaebn's reply.

They parked in front of a warehouse. Axel was dragged inside and found about 10 Romulans standing around the room, all of them hooded and carrying rifles. Axel was forced to sit on another wooden chair in the middle of the warehouse and that's when he noticed that Lt. Soto was also there, sitting on another chair a few meters away. He was also tied up and had rag covering his eyes. Axel was relieved to notice that he didn't seem to be wounded, but apparently he had passed out.

"You'll want to know that we have your ship targeted, and as soon as the Commander gives out the order we will destroy it" said Vaebn, walking towards Axel.

"Where are the rest of my men?" asked Axel.

"Alive, for now…" replied Vaebn with a smirk.

"Let my crewmen and Tactical Officer go" said Axel.

The Romulans surrounding them started laughing. Vaebn punched Axel and he nearly fell from his chair.

"You are in no position to negotiate!" he said, still laughing.

"Before this day ends…" said Axel panting, "you will be dead".

"Aren't you aware of your position, Captain?" asked Vaebn with scorn. "You're clearly outnumbered".

Another Romulan came close, dragging behind him an injured crewman from Axel's team. He recognized him as Hicks.

"Captain" began saying Hicks, "please forgive me".

"LET HIM GO!" demanded Axel.

"No. I have a better idea" said Vaebn. He pulled out a knife from the inside of his cloak and sank it up to the hilt into Hicks' chest.

"NO!" yelled Axel, as he saw life abandoning Hicks' eyes.

"There… one less to worry about, Captain" said Vaebn.

"I will kill you personally…" said Axel, consumed by rage.

"That won't happen" contradicted him Vaebn. "You see, Captain? You are all just bait. As soon as your friends send someone to your rescue, we will take the chance that they lower their shields to destroy them".

Axel couldn't guess who he hated the most, if Noma or this Vaebn guy. He was beginning to fear that this mission was going to have a bad ending for him and his crew, but he needed to find a way to turn the status quo around. If he could only send out a message to the Comet, he would be able to save the most of his crew.

It was then that Noma came in again. He was holding a large curved blade in his hand and was walking towards them. He saw Hicks' corpse and looked at Vaebn. For a moment, Axel thought that Noma was going to reprimand him, but he only smiled and asked:

"Were you having fun?"

"Not much, he didn't even put a fight" replied Vaebn.

"You see, Captain" said Noma, turning to Axel, "this is what happens to the ones that stand in our way".

"Your blood will be on my hands today…" threatened Axel.

"Come on, Captain" said Noma, scornfully, "you are no monster. You're barely a full man yet. You don't have the nerves to kill".

"Oh, I've killed before" bluffed Axel.

"Hunting animals is not counted as killing, my very young Captain".

"Then killing you won't count at all" spat back Axel.

Vaebn lunged towards him and punched him in the stomach. Before Axel could react, the Romulan had his hand on his throat and was squeezing slightly.

"You will address to the Commander with respect… or I will kill you on the spot, you human ryak'na (Romulan word for trash)".

"Vaebn, stop it" ordered Noma.

"Forgive me, my Lord" complied Vaebn

Axel panted and coughed when Vaebn released his throat. He knew that he was risking too much, but he needed the Romulans to believe they didn't have full control. It was in this moment, when he was trying to come up with a convincing argument, when Noma's communicator beeped.

"Yes?" asked Noma, picking it up.

"The humans have beamed down another party, my Lord" said a voice on the other end.

"Wait for my command. Don't open fire just yet. I have a better idea.

Axel looked at Noma, angered by Cdr. Markus' foolishness. Now it was time to plan a new strategy, and defeat the Romulan before anything else could go wrong.


	8. CHAPTER 4: DELIVERANCE

**_Phoenix Prime Colony_**

_Acting Captain's log, supplemental_

_I've decided to take my chances. I can't allow the Captain to fall to the hands of the Romulans. I'll be taking an armed escort with me and we'll try to rescue them. We'll arrive to the exact same coordinates that the Captain was, and we'll follow his steps. This time, however, we'll be more cautious and stay on guard the whole time._

Cdr. Markus beamed down with a group of 7 armed crewmen. They were behind the same abandoned hut, where Axel had arrived hours later. First thing they did was scan the area for any Romulan bio-signs. When they declared the zone clear, they scanned for the Captain's.

"Found him, sir" said one of the crewmen.

"Where is he?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"Both him and Lt. Soto are alive in a warehouse 500 meters from here".

"Set phasers to stun" ordered Cdr. Markus.

"Sir, they will be aiming to kill".

"Yes, but we can't risk killing the captain or any of our people, can we?"

"You're right, sir. I apologize".

"We will split into two groups. This is what we'll do" said Cdr. Markus, and he explained his plan to the rest of the team.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, orbiting Phoenix Prime_**

Cdr. Peterson was on the bridge, relieving Cdr. Markus as acting captain while he was attempting the rescue.

"Cdr. Peterson, sir" said Terry Young, through the comlink on the captain's armchair.

"Yes Mr. Young. What's going on?" answered Cdr. Markus.

"We're picking up some strange fluctuation on the plasma exhaust trail. Instead of dissipating behind the ship in a random pattern it's doing it like if something was in the middle of the way. I don't know what's causing it, but it can really mess up the exhaust manifold if we don't figure it out".

"Standby, I'll be there in a couple minutes" he turned to one of the crewmembers on the bridge. "Lt. DuLac, you have the bridge".

Cdr. Peterson got of his chair and went down to engineering. Terry Young was busy with some readings on a monitor.

"What is it crewman?" asked Cdr. Peterson.

"Sir, the plasma trail breaks in an unusual pattern. It seems that we have something on our tail".

Cdr. Peterson looked closely at the image on the monitor and his expression went blank.

"Sir?" asked Terry Young.

"It seems that we have some company" said Cdr. Peterson.

* * *

**_Phoenix Prime Colony_**

"Are you certain of this?" asked Cdr. Markus over the comlink.

"Yes, sir" replied Cdr. Peterson on the other end. "There is a cloaked vessel on our tail, and I would bet anything that it's Romulan".

"Do nothing until I give out the signal, stay on yellow alert" said Cdr. Markus. "We must first ensure the safety of our people before engaging the Romulans".

"Understood. Peterson out".

Cdr. Markus pressed his back against the wall next to the door of the warehouse. Thanks to his plan they had been able to take by surprise a Romulan patrol that was surely searching for them. Now they were about to attempt to rescue the Captain. He turned to look at the other crewman on the other side of the door and nodded. It was time.

Noma released the crewman he had just killed and laughed when the corpse fell to the floor. Axel's muscles were tense and tried to force himself out of his restraints.

"I'm going to kill you…" he repeated under his breath.

"You don't get the lesson, do you?" asked Noma. "Maybe you require an advanced class. Bring the old man!"

"With pleasure, my Lord" said Vaebn. He walked towards Lt. Soto, dragged him out of the chair and tossed him on the floor. Axel's skin crawled when Lt. Soto fell on his face. "Here he is".

Noma raised his already bloody sword when an explosion burst the front door reducing it to splinters. Phaser blasts came in while another explosion destroyed the rear wall, instantly killing 2 of the Romulans, and more phaser blasts came in from that direction.

Both Noma and Vaebn were trying to avoid the fire, while shooting back with their own guns. Axel then felt someone cut the ropes on his hands and put a phaser gun in them, so he wasted no time and shot Vaebn, who was coming his way, on the chest.

The Romulan feel to the ground and Axel saw the knife falling next to him. He picked it up and stabbed the alien on the chest.

"I'm a man of word" said Axel, and the Romulan expired.

Noma had seen this, but when he was about to shoot Axel he received an impact on his shoulder, and saw Axel being taken outside by one of the humans.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, orbiting Phoenix Prime_**

"We've got the Captain and Lt. Soto!" signaled Cdr. Markus over the comlink.

"Fire aft torpedoes!" commanded Cdr. Peterson.

Four photon torpedoes hit the cloaked Romulan Warbird, its cloak destabilizing.

"There! Turn around and fire phasers! Target their cloak generator and weapons".

The Comet took a sharp turn, getting out of orbit, and fired at the Romulan vessel.

* * *

**_Phoenix Prime Colony_**

Noma's communicator beeped. He tried to ignore the pain on his wound, while he saw his men falling to the human's coordinated attack. Most of his soldiers were down, when only 2 humans had been killed. He picked up and he heard the distorted transmission:

"My Lord! We've been discovered!" yelled the voice on the other end.

"Beam me up! Now!" he commanded, and he picked up his sword in the exact moment he began being transported.

* * *

**_IRW S'Hauen, orbiting Phoenix Prime_**

"We're lost our cloak!" said the helmsman, when Noma entered the bridge.

"Target their weapons!"

"We've taken heavy damage, sir, we must fall back!" yelled the Romulan at the weapons station.

With a scream of rage, Noma raised his sword and beheaded him, and sat down on his place. He fired torpedoes but the shields of the Comet took the impact. He tried firing phasers, but they had been disabled.

"We have hull breaches on almost every deck, sir!" yelled one of the Romulans.

"My Lord, the Federation vessel has stopped firing".

Noma looked at the screen and saw the Comet motionless in front of the S'Hauen. He was furious that his plan had failed. He had tried to take them by surprise and they had somehow discovered him.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, orbiting Phoenix Prime_**

Axel came out of the transporter room feeling numb, but mostly uninjured. He insisted on returning to the bridge, even though Amy tried to jab him on the neck with a hypospray.

"I'll go to sickbay as soon as I finish with this" he promised, and went to the bridge.

"Cease fire" he ordered as soon as he entered.

"Welcome back, sir" said Jenna. "I'm getting a transmission from the surface. Our landing party seems to have rounded up the remaining Romulans. Apparently they have surrendered and asked to be returned to their ship to die with the rest of their crew".

"Open a channel to the Romulans" he replied.

"Hailing frequency's open, Captain".

"This is Captain Axel Vargas of the…"

"You human scum!" interrupted Noma on the screen. "You will pay for this… I swear".

"Actually, commander, I was hoping that you surrendered immediately and picked up your people. They are being kept in a smaller warehouse next to the one where we had our nice gathering. Stand down and the Federation will give you a fair trial".

"Send me the coordinates" signaled Noma.

Axel nodded to Jenna and she transmitted the coordinates. As soon as Noma received them, he went to the weapons terminal and fired a set of torpedoes in that direction.

"Captain, he destroyed the warehouse" signaled Jenna.

"Now you don't have any bargain chips, Captain. Prepare to be destroyed" said Noma, and he ended the transmission.

"Sir, their warp reactor is overloading" said one of the crewmen, a few minutes later.

"Henry, get us out of range!" ordered Axel.

The Comet turned around and started to gain distance just as the Romulan ship exploded.

* * *

**_Cloaked Romulan Shuttle_**

Noma saw his ship blow up while he was getting away. He could also see the Federation vessel gaining distance from the explosion. He engaged warp towards Romulus, with vengeance on his heart. He would never forget this.

* * *

**_Phoenix Prime Colony, Mayor Butler's Office_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50546.5_

_We've detected a Romulan warp trail leaving Phoenix Prime just a few seconds after the Warbird exploded. I'm sure this won't be the last we hear from Cdr. Noma or the Romulans, but next time we'll be on our guard._

_We've scheduled a meeting with Mayor Butler, who has informed us that the whole colony wants to throw out a festival in our honor. Of course, we can't allow that to happen, since so many lives have been lost and they need the supplies to rebuild the colony, so it's no good to waste them on us._

"We have briefed Starfleet Command about the dealings of the Romulans. They will be sending patrol ships from time to time to ensure everything is ok" announced Axel.

"We will be ever in your debt, Captain" said Mayor Butler. "Feel free to come by anytime you like".

"Thanks, Mayor. You take care of yourself and, as my father would say, stay out of trouble".

After a brief landside service for the fallen, and loading the bodies into the shuttle, they returned to the Comet, and warped out to whatever lies ahead.


	9. CHAPTER 5: THE HIVE

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, orbiting an uncharted planet, 12 ly away from Earth_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50566.15_

_It's been one week since we left Phoenix Prime, and so far we've had received no further orders from Starfleet, so we've started with our exploratory mission. We just entered orbit of a planet that didn't appear in our star charts so, obviously, everyone is excited about a new discovery._

"What can you tell me about the planet, Mr. Markus?" asked Axel.

"It's class M, Captain. It doesn't have any humanoid population but I detect some wild life on the surface".

"So it is safe haven?" asked Lt. Soto.

"It seems to be" replied Cdr. Markus.

"Excellent, we could all really use a break" said Axel, standing up. "Jenna, Henry, Lt. Soto, Cdr. Markus and I will be beaming down to set up the camp and probe the terrain".

"Shouldn't we send down an actual probe first, Captain?" asked Lt. Soto. "We don't know if there are any hostile species down there".

"That's why I need my Tactical Officer with me, Lieutenant. I'll be expecting you in the transporter room with 4 of your best men, armed".

"As you wish, sir" said Lt. Soto.

Axel went to his quarters to pick up some gear, and a few minutes later he heard a beep on the door.

"Come in".

"Axel, what are you doing?" asked Amy, entering the room.

"Hi, doctor. What can I do for you?" asked Axel.

"You can't seriously be thinking about beaming down to an unknown planet, Captain" replied Amy, with emphasis on the last word.

"The crew needs some rest after the encounter with the Romulans on Phoenix Prime. It won't do us any harm to relax for a day in this planet. Besides, you're coming with me?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but… what?" said Amy in astonishment.

"If things go south, we'll need a doctor; so you suit up and go to the transporter room in 15 minutes".

"There is nothing I can say to convince you not to do this, right?" asked Amy.

"Not a chance. Dismissed doctor" replied Axel.

Amy nodded and left to pick up her gear from the sickbay. 15 minutes later, she was in the transporter room with the rest of the landing party.

* * *

**_Uncharted Class M Planet surface_**

They were beamed down a couple meters from a rocky cliff. Axel walked to it and saw the paradisiacal view in front of him. A green forest extended up to the horizon, and a small lake could be seen in the middle of it. Turning around, Axel noticed that they had also beamed down next to a small pond with purpule-ish water, and the edge of another forest could be seen not far away.

"Beautiful place, sir" said Jenna, walking up to him.

"You've said it, Ensign" replied Axel. He took a deep breath. "Is it just me or there is a sweet scent in the air?"

"I sense it too, Captain" said Lt. Soto, walking towards them. "Should we begin mounting the camp?"

"Sure, let's get to that" agreed Axel.

The rest of the men began putting up the tents, while Amy and Jenna checked the medical equipment.

"My mother was a nurse on one of Starfleet's hospitals in Florida" said Jenna. "I learned a few tricks from her, so if you ever need assistance let me know, Doctor".

"Thank you" replied Amy with a smile. "I got it from my mother too. She is the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Midgard, which my father commands".

Jenna smiled back and keyed her part of the inventory on her pad. A few seconds later, Cdr. Markus approached them while looking at his tricorder.

"I've detected high concentrations of microscopic laevulose and dextrose[i] crystals in the atmosphere, which would explain the sweetness of the air" he said. "I'd recommend that you administer shots of insulin to all of us, or we'll all end up having grave cases of diabetes by tomorrow morning".

"Good idea" said Amy. "Thank you, Commander. I'll go around with Jenna administering the shots in a few minutes".

Three hours later, by Axel's orders, another party had been beamed down and began installing sensor terminals and a portable phaser turret to serve as a defense system. They hadn't been able to detect any hostile creatures nearby, but Lt. Soto insisted that the safety of the camp could not be trusted solely to the tricorders.

* * *

By sunset (a very unusual one, as the sky turned slightly green when the sun was setting down and, as Cdr. Markus pointed out, the sun had set down on the east), they were gathered around a couple of campfires digging into their ration packs. The wind was blowing softly, still with that sweet scent in it.

"What should we name this planet?" asked Henry, putting down his canteen.

"I was thinking something like '_Dulcedo_'" said Jenna.

"Dulcedo?" asked one of the crewmen, named Daryl Schmidt. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Easy" said Jenna, with an air of superiority, "it means 'sweetness' in Latin".

"You know Latin?" asked Terry Young, who had come with the second group as a representative for Cdr. Peterson. "Why would you know Latin? Nobody has used it since, what, the 18th century?"

"Actually" intervened Axel, sitting down next to Terry, "Starfleet Academy's motto is '_Ex astris, scientia_', which means 'From the stars, knowledge'. Did you know that?"

"Is that Latin too?" asked Terry Young.

"No, it's Swahili" said Jenna with scorn.

"What does it have to do, then?" asked Terry Young, now clearly confused.

Everyone laughed at Terry's expression and, eventually, he realized they were teasing him, so he joined the laughter.

A couple few hours later, one by one started to retreat to their tents. Two armed crewmen agreed to take turns to stay awake and mount guard. During the first shift, however, a sort of mist covered the camp, and suddenly the guard began feeling drowsy. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

* * *

When the sun came out, Axel got out of his tent, stretched his arms and legs and walked up to the sensor terminal. It was then when he noticed the sleeping guard. He walked up to him and shook him a bit.

"Crewman?" he said.

"Woa! I'm awake!" said the guard, waking up startled.

"Easy, crewman" said Axel, calming him down. "How long was each of your shifts?"

"Each of… oh no…" said the guard, realizing he had never woken up his relieve. "Sorry, sir, I don't know what happened".

"Don't worry… Max, right?" probed Axel.

"Yes, sir… Max Warren, sir." acknowledged crewman Max.

"Don't worry" repeated Axel. "If something had gone wrong, our good phaser turret would have defended us".

He patted Max on the shoulder and then went back to the terminal. He was bringing up the readings when the rest of the campers started to come out from their tents. He scrolled through some of the readings with interest and dismissing others: slight seismic activity had occurred below them, but they hadn't noticed it; change of wind direction and speed right before dawn; a dense mist, formed by a sort of chemical that he couldn't determine (he made a note to ask Cdr. Markus about it and make Amy take blood samples before returning to the Comet).

They were having breakfast, sitting on the grass and enjoying the sweet breeze, when Henry came by looking anxious.

"Have you seen Jenna?" he asked.

"I guess she's still asleep" replied Amy, "I haven't seen her come out of her tent".

Henry went over to Jenna's tent and opened it.

"Captain! Captain! Come here!" he yelled, backing away from the tent.

They all ran up to the tent and saw the hole on the floor inside it. It seemed like something had dug up the ground underneath the tent, by all looks it had taken Jenna with it.

* * *

"I don't understand how we missed those caves" said Axel pointing them out.

He was with Cdr. Markus, standing on the edge of the ravine next to their camp. After a close inspection with their binoculars, they were able to spot several holes dug up on the floor by the edge of the forest, and some more on the rocky wall of the ravine itself.

"I weren't able to find anything worth raising an alarm for when I scanned the area" said Cdr. Markus.

"Sir" said another crewman, walking up to them and addressing Cdr. Markus, "I found out why none of us heard Jenna, or felt the seismic activity".

"Ok? What is it?"

"Well, I spoke during breakfast with crewman Warren and he mentioned a mist overnight. He said that's when he fell asleep. After we discovered that Ens. Fox had gone missing, I ran up some tests on the readings from the mist: elevated concentrations of Melatonin".

"I'm sorry" said Axel, "Melatonin?"

"It's a hormone" explained Cdr. Markus, apparently realizing something. "It has a sleep-regulator effect on humans and most species of animals. It causes drowsiness and, eventually, you fall asleep".

"So you say it wasn't a common mist?" asked Axel, now addressing the crewman.

"All I'm saying, Captain, is that something or someone didn't want us to wake up" he replied.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were gathered around Axel. They were going to enter the caves and try to find Jenna.

"Listen up! We're organizing search teams" ordered Axel. "It is imperative to find her as soon as possible. We don't know what we're facing and we need to be cautious. Every search team will be formed by 3 people, all armed, and you must take a tricorder per team. Keep an open channel at all times. I'll be expecting reports every 15 minutes".

"What if we encounter mist?" asked crewman Warren.

"Then try to get away from it" replied Axel. "We don't have enough EV suits for all of us, so we must try to avoid contact with it".

After dividing into search parties of 3, reporting the current situation to the Comet and gearing up, the search for Jenna began. They left 2 guards at the camp, along with Lt. Soto (though he protested), to keep it secure and avoid intruders.

Axel was with Terry Young and Henry, Terry slightly ahead checking the tricorder and following the readings on it. They were now several feet inside the cavern and now the only light they saw was that of their own flashlights. Henry seemed lost in his thoughts.

"Don't worry, Henry" said Axel. "We'll find her".

"I really hope so, Captain" replied Henry. "My old man would kill me if something happened to his princess".

"She's strong, Ensign. She will put up a good fight" replied Axel.

"Sir, I'm picking up movement ahead" announced Terry.

"Steady now" motioned Axel. "We'll go slowly. Turn off the flashlights and put on you night vision visors. Set phasers to stun".

* * *

Cdr. Markus was teamed up with Amy and another ensign named George Kent. They were in another cave, not far away to the one Axel had entered. Cdr. Markus held the tricorder in front of him while Ens. Kent saw a glint of light ahead of them.

"Commander" he said, "there is something ahead".

"Let me see" acknowledged Cdr. Markus. He pointed the tricorder in that direction. "Seems to be like some form of halogen substance, but I can't read it from here".

"We must be under the camp now" said Amy. "But there is no sign of any tunnels going up".

"Is it me or the air smells even sweeter down here?" asked Ens. Kent.

"No, I can sense it too" agreed Amy. "Come here, I'll give us all another shot of insulin, just in case".

A few minutes later, they reached the end of the tunnel and came into a medium, low-ceilinged circular cave. There was a small lump in the middle of it, which emitted a soft golden glow.

"It's not a known substance" said Cdr. Markus when he tried to scan it. "The tricorder can't find a match".

"Congratulations, Commander" said Amy. "You discovered a new element".

"Er, sir?" asked Kent, a few meters away. "What's this?"

They walked towards him and looked down at the golden gooey substance on the floor. It was a sort of pond filled out with a sweet scented jelly-ish compound.

"I think we found the source of the sweetness in the air" said Cdr. Markus, holding out the tricorder. "According to the scans, it's something close to honey".

"Commander?" said Amy, raising her eyes and now with her view fixed on the farther wall. "Something's moving".

The two men looked in the same direction, and saw a shadow moving inside a soft lump on the wall.

* * *

"Sir, please come take a look at this" said crewman Warren to Lt. Soto, back at the camp.

"What is it?" asked Lt. Soto.

"I'm getting some strange readings in this terminal" said crewman Warren. "Suddenly, a bunch of beeps began to sound, and it began picking up movement all over the place".

Lt. Soto looked at the screen, just when he heard the voice of the Captain over the comlink.

* * *

"This is search team Alpha. All search teams, report" said Axel through the comlink.

"Search team Bravo, here" replied Cdr. Markus' voice.

"Search team Charlie, reporting" replied another crewman, on his end.

Once every other team had reported connection, Cdr. Markus spoke again.

"Captain, we've found something down here. It looks like some sort of hatchery. There are cocoons attached to the walls and a pond of something that resembles a lot to honey. We believe it's the source of the sweet scent in the air".

"Have you seen whatever made those cocoons?" asked Axel.

"No, sir" answered Cdr. Markus.

"Sir, we found something similar" said someone from search team Delta. "It was some sort of shed skin on the floor. We didn't know what it was, but now that Cdr. Markus mentions, it did look like an empty cocoon".

"Captain, this all makes sense now" said Lt. Soto through his comlink. "We're picking up movement all around the perimeter".

"Be on your guard, everyone" commanded Axel. "We'll continue the search until we find Jenna".

"Captain! Movement ahead!" yelled Terry Young.

"Paul, behind you!" yelled another crewman from one of the other teams, just when a violent growl was heard and, after a lot of yelling, silence returned.

"Captain Vargas to search team Foxtrot. Lt. Felix, can you hear me?" asked Axel, but there was no response.

"Captain…" began Henry. "Captain, we're not alone".

Axel turned around just in time to see 2 six-legged shapes running through the tunnel towards them. He removed his NV Goggles and raised his phaser, just when the mist hit them.

* * *

Axel woke up feeling dizzy. His body felt sore and he could barely move. He discovered that the reason of this was because he was held in place by some kind of gooey substance, and even though he tried he couldn't break free. He looked around and saw Terry Young, still unconscious, in a similar position stuck to the wall a couple meters away.

They were in a sort of large underground cavern. Small puddles of the honey-like substance that Cdr. Markus had mentioned were scattered around the floor. The high ceiling was supported by tall, rocky, natural pillars, and there were a couple of lumps on the floor, which emitted a soft golden glow. He saw Henry, who was trying hard to free himself from his sticky restraints, which held him to one of the pillars.

"Henry…" called Axel in a low voice. "Henry, are you alright?"

"Captain! Yes, I'm alright. I know where Jenna is!"

"What?" asked Axel, surprised. "Did you see her?"

"Yes, she was unconscious, also cocooned, and was being dragged away by one of those things".

"What are they? Did you see them well?"

"I got knocked down back there, before I could see them clearly, but the one carrying Jenna was like a big hornet, except for the fur covering its head".

It was then, that Axel saw Amy trying to get his attention from one of the tunnel entrances.

"Amy!" Axel called her.

"Finally!" she said, coming next to him and pulling out her phaser gun. "I've been trying to catch your eye for almost 2 minutes".

Amy cut Axel's and Henry's restraints with the beam from her phaser gun and went over to Terry Young to release him as well. She then handed Henry and Axel a pair of phaser guns and jabbed Terry with a hypospray to reanimate him.

"We must be cautious" said Axel. "Amy, where are the others? We need to go get Jenna. Henry saw one of those creatures taking her away".

"Cdr. Markus is with Ens. Kent inside the tunnel. Ens. Kent is hurt; he needs to be taken back to camp".

"Where are we?" asked Terry, finally coming to his senses.

"In some kind of hive" replied Axel. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Sore… but mainly ok".

"Go with Amy" said Axel. "Take her and Ens. Kent back to camp. I'll go with Cdr. Markus and Henry and go get Jenna".

Amy helped Terry on his feet and they went back into the tunnel. A few second later, Cdr. Markus came out of it towards them.

"How bad is Ens. Kent?" asked Axel when he got near them.

"Broken arm apparently, if he hadn't shot that thing, the Doctor would be the injured one. Those creatures are huge, sir".

"They are… let's go now" replied Axel, and he motioned Henry to lead the way.

* * *

It had been several minutes since they had gotten separated from Amy and Terry. The air was even sweeter the deeper they got inside the hive.

"When we get out of here… I want to eat the saltiest dish I can find on the ship's menu" mentioned Cdr. Markus.

"I'll better ask Amy to give us all shots of insulin when we get back to the Comet" said Axel in response.

"Sir" said Henry, "movement ahead". The three of them raised their weapons and slowed down.

They hadn't given 10 steps, when the ground beneath them collapsed. They fell through an inclined tunnel and rolled into a huge chamber, lighted by more of those golden-glowing lumps. They stood up and picked up their phaser guns, looked around and froze in shock.

They had fallen into a sort of hatchery. The honey-like substance was puddle all around the floor and cocoons hung from the ceiling and were stuck to the wall. Dry carcasses of their prey scattered the floor around them, usually right next to empty cocoons. Dark ten-legged creatures crawled up and down the walls, poking the cocoons with their appendixes. Suddenly, Henry gasped and ran towards one of the cocoons, which was moving as if something was trying to get out.

Axel and Cdr. Markus ran behind them and saw the reason of Henry's reaction: Jenna was stuck to the floor by the same hardened sticky substance from which Amy had released them. She was looking at the cocoon with a look of horror on her face and was trying to free herself from her restraints.

"Jenna!" called Henry.

"Henry!" replied Jenna. "Captain! Commander!"

"Henry, look out!" warned Axel.

Henry stopped running and looked around, just as a bulky creature rammed him and tossed him a few meters away with one of its appendixes. Axel raised his phaser gun and stunned the monster just as it ran towards them.

"Commander, release Jenna, I'll go get Henry".

"Commander! Above you!" yelled Jenna.

Cdr. Markus lunged forward just as a gigantic tail slammed the place where he had been standing. I was similar to a scorpion's tail, but smooth and muscled, instead of sectioned. It was then that Axel saw it: a huge 6 legged creature, similar to the smaller ones but covered in fur and with a tail ended with a sharp sting.

"Commander! Get Jenna out of here!" yelled Axel, and ran again towards Henry, who was trying to stand up.

"Commander!" yelled Jenna in fear, as the cocoon next to her had started to open, and a black wormish larva began erupting.

Cdr. Markus shot the larva and released Jenna by cutting her restraints with his phaser gun. Meanwhile, Axel dragged Henry out of the way, just as the giant creature lashed again with its tail, barely missing them.

Axel saw that another group of creatures were trying to round them up, just as a loud bang was heard and a blinding flash filled the room. They all covered their eyes, just as search team Charlie and Foxtrot entered the room, firing in all directions, taking advantage of the flash grenade's explosion. They covered Axel, Henry, Jenna and Cdr. Markus as they retreated into the tunnel and then followed them.

"We've lost contact with search team Delta and Echo" said one of the crewmen from search team Foxtrot. "Lt. Felix got separated from us right after we lost contact with you".

"We must get back to the surface. And leave before they come after us" said Axel.

"Oh, they don't like brightness" replied the crewman. "We discovered that when we first used a flash grenade. That's how we survived after losing the Lieutenant".

"Then we better get out fast" said Cdr. Markus, helping Henry stay on his feet.

"Sir!" yelled Jenna, warning Axel.

They all turned to look in the direction Jenna was pointing and saw about 5 to 7 creatures running through the tunnel towards them. The sleep-inducer mist was emanating from their bodies.

"Run!" ordered Axel and they all ran in the opposite direction, trying hard not to get touched by the mist and firing towards the creatures.

They managed to get rid of the pursuers, and finally get out of the tunnel. Lt. Soto, Amy and two men from search team Echo greeted them when they got back to camp. Lt. Felix was also there, injured but he had somehow managed to get out alive. Search team Delta was also there Axel didn't waste any time, and hailed the Comet.

"Captain Vargas to the Comet! Cdr. Peterson we need to beamed out of here immediately!"

"Understood, sir" replied Cdr. Peterson.

"Let's get out of this damn planet" said Axel to the rest of the team. Nobody objected.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, warping out from the hive planet_**

_Captain's Log, stardate 50569.2_

_We've left the Hive, as we have all agreed to name the planet, thankfully without suffering any casualties. Cdr. Markus suggested that we left a beacon to warn anyone who approaches the planet not to land and we have marked it as hostile._

_We've picked up a distress call from an Axanar freighter that was hit by a cloud of space particles and needs assistance with the repairs of their outer hull, so we're now on our way to rendezvous with them._

_We're hoping that this time, we don't encounter any other surprises._

* * *

[i] Laevulose and Dextrose are both types of sugar, and they can both be found in honey


	10. CHAPTER 6: ESCORT

**_Starfleet Command Headquarters, stardate 50606.52_**

Cpt. Farrell was waiting for Adm. Jenkins to come back into the office. She had received a transmission from Starfleet Command just a few days ago, recalling the USS Kenya to Earth to fulfill a diplomatic mission. She was aware that the USS Comet had also been recalled, but wasn't entirely aware of the nature of the mission.

She still hadn't fully forgiven Cpt. Vargas for having taken away her Chief Medical Officer, though she hadn't had any problems with Dr. P'Val; however she knew that whatever resentments she could still have, her duties were more important. Besides, this would be the last mission of the Kenya before decommission, after having served 13 years on the fleet (5 of them under her command), and she wanted to get a smaller craft, maybe one of the new Intrepid Class starships, or one of the elegant Akira Class escorts.

Adm. Jenkins came into the office, followed by Axel. She stood up and greeted them both.

"Cpt. Vargas" said Cpt. Farrell, stretching out her hand.

"Please, Captain. Call me Axel" said Axel, shaking her hand.

"Captains, please, have a seat" asked Adm. Jenkins.

"I heard you've had one big starter, Axel" said Cpt. Farrell while sitting down.

"You have no idea" replied Axel. "Romulans, giant flesh-eating bugs, an Axanar freighter with hull breach, assisting a Vulcan cruiser with an imminent warp core overload…"

"Yeah, it's like that when you begin… ends up getting dull in the end".

"Well, Captain" said Adm. Jenkins. "Things might get interesting for you again".

"What happened, Admiral?" asked Axel.

"The Denobulan ambassador must return to Denobula tomorrow, but we have received reports of what seems to be Gorn pirates, attacking any vessel that comes across them".

"Gorn pirates?" asked Cpt. Farrell. "We haven't heard from the Gorn since the Metrons drove them away from Cestus III, over a century ago".

"Not entirely true" said Adm. Jenkins.

"You bet it isn't true" said Axel, standing up and turning around.

"What is it?" asked Cpt. Farrell.

"It was nearly 8 years ago" said Adm. Jenkins. "The USS Arlington had been assigned to resolve a hostage situation on Rigel 10".

"The bastards had intercepted a Cardassian transport and captured the whole crew" said Axel. "We were sent to Rigel 10, where the Gorn had landed with their hostages, to attempt to rescue the Cardassians. We succeeded, but just before we got transported back into the Arlington one of the Gorn grabbed me and tossed me to the floor. Mi senior officer, Lcdr. William Welch, attacked the Gorn and ordered me to escape.

"Of course, I didn't comply, but tried reached for my phaser gun instead, just when a Gorn grabbed him and they both got transported. I was beamed back to the Arlington before I could react and we couldn't follow the Gorn, as they had damaged our port nacelle".

The three of them fell silent for a few minutes, and then Adm. Jenkins spoke up again:

"Our intelligence has informed us that the Gorn are patrolling the sector, so we don't want to risk the Ambassador to fall to an ambush".

"So, our mission will be to escort the Ambassador's ship back to Denobula?" asked Cpt. Farrell.

"Exactly" said Adm. Jenkins. "It is imperative that the Ambassador doesn't suffer any harm during the way".

"How fast can the Ambassador's ship go?" asked Axel. "Denobula is nearly a 2 weeks away from here, and that's traveling at warp 8".

"The Ambassador's ship can go up to warp 9, but try not to exceed warp 8 unless strictly necessary" said Adm. Jenkins.

After discussing some regulations, they ended the meeting and left the office.

Axel was walking down the hallway to his temporary quarters when Cpt. Farrell came up to him.

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle this mission?" she asked.

"I may be young, but not incapable" replied Axel, slightly offended.

"I'm not talking about your age, Axel, I'm talking about Regulation 619" she said.

"I don't have any emotional issues, if that's what you mean. We just need to focus on this mission and get Ambassador Tropp back to Denobula safely".

Cpt. Farrell nodded and returned to her quarters, leaving Axel lost in his thoughts.

* * *

Axel woke up in the middle of the night, shaken. It had been some time since he had any nightmares about the abduction of Lcdr. Welch. He looked at the time: 03:56. He went to the washroom and rinsed his face with some cold water, went to his LCARS terminal and accessed the mission briefing:

Ambassador Tropp was one of the most powerful men on Denobula. Along with his second wife, he had come to Earth seeking to invite some young college students on a once in a lifetime opportunity, going to Denobula to continue their studies for one Earth year. Negotiations had been suspended, however, when he received news that an unknown faction had attempted to bomb the Denobulan Senate.

Starfleet intelligence had detected then the Gorn scouts patrolling the space between Earth and Denobula, so they had issued the order for a heavy escort on the Ambassador.

Axel was feeling dizzy, so he tried hailing Amy, who was also in her quarters:

"Axel?" she answered his hail.

"Hi Amy" greeted Axel, when he saw her face on the screen.

"Axel, it's 4 in the morning, what's wrong?"

"Sorry, I'm not feeling well" he thought for a moment. "I may not be suited to command this mission".

"What?" she asked in surprise, now fully waking up. "Why would you say that?"

"I want vengeance on the Gorn, for abducting Lcdr. Welch. And Regulation 619 states that…"

"Don't you dare" she interrupted him abruptly. "Father would be ashamed if he heard you say that, you know? You have barely been in command of the Comet for one month; it wouldn't cause a good impression on the crew if you backed away now".

"What should I do, then?"

"Buck up, and stop being such a child" she said, and smiled at him.

"Thanks Doc" he replied, smiling back.

"We're off-duty, don't call me Doc" she said, and ended the transmission.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, leaving orbit from Earth_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50609.4_

_We've left orbit along with the Kenya and the Ambassador's transport. We shall be engaging warp 8 as soon as we get clearance. Let's hope we don't encounter any Gorn pirates on the way, but if we do I just hope we can take them all out before they do._

"Captain, we're clear to go" announced Jenna.

"Thank you. Signal Cpt. Farrell and the Denobulans. Henry, take us to warp 8" said Axel.

The three starships engaged warp speed and, after a few minutes, they were out of Sol system.

"Stay on yellow alert at all times and keep track of any strange readings on long-range sensors" ordered Axel.

"Sir, the Kenya is proposing that they cover the back of the Denobulan transport, and we stay ahead" said Jenna.

"We would then have a blind spot on each side. Tell them that we can cover the Ambassador better if we maintain a triangular formation. Besides, any enemy ships are more likely to come from the front".

Jenna nodded and sent the response to the Kenya.

* * *

_Captain's log, stardate 50620.36_

_It's been 4 days since we left Earth. So far we haven't found any hostiles on the way. We have invited the Denobulan Ambassador to the Comet to have lunch with me and my senior officers, so we're expecting to drop out of warp for a few minutes to bring him aboard and then we'll reassume course to Denobula._

_I invited Cpt. Farrell as well, but she kindly decided to refuse._

Axel, Cdr. Markus, Lt. Soto and Amy were waiting in the transporter room to greet Ambassador Tropp. When he and his wife were beamed aboard Axel stepped forward and stretched out his hand.

"Ambassador, Mrs. Tropp, it's and honor to have you here. Welcome to the Comet".

"The pleasure is all ours, Captain!" replied the Ambassador, with that deep smile that only Denobulans could manage, and taking Axel's hand. "Please, call me Tropp".

"It is indeed" agreed Mrs. Tropp, shaking Axel's hand as well and winking an eye at him. "Please, call me Asha".

"Indeed I will" nodded Axel with a smile. "These are Commander Joe Markus, my science officer; Lieutenant Gale Soto, my Tactical Officer; and this is my sister, also the ship's Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Amy Vargas".

"Oh, a doctor" said Mrs. Tropp in amusement. "My third husband is a medic back in Denobula. I would like you to meet him when we get there; he's a fine interesting scholar. You would really like him".

"Oh, yes, he is indeed" said Ambassador Tropp with another smile. "Mi first wife and I have a son who just started studies to become a medic as well. I haven't seen them in a few months so I'm very excited about seeing them when we get there".

"That would be nice" smiled Amy to Mrs. Tropp, feeling awkward. "I'll be looking forward to it".

They walked the Denobulans to Axel's personal dining room and were served with both Denobulan and Human dishes.

"We're almost halfway to Denobula" said Axel. "We're being followed closely by the Kenya so if anything comes up we will handle it smoothly".

"I won't' worry at all then" said the Ambassador with a smile. "I'm quite sure we will be able to resolve the issue in Denobula as well. It's not the first time it happens, so we have previous experience".

"Is it normal for you to get these kinds of threats?" asked Lt. Soto.

"My husband is a very influential man in Denobula" said Mrs. Tropp. "There are some radicals that think that his way of conducting interplanetary relations isn't the right one, so they try to convince him to leave his position. It's not the first time this happens".

"Do you think it could have anything to do with the Gorn pirates that have been sighted in this region?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"Nonsense" replied the Ambassador, dismissing the theory. "Pirates are just pirates; these are just a group of people who aren't happy with their situation".

"Is there any way we can assist?" asked Axel.

"Don't bother, Captain" replied the Ambassador, still smiling. "You're doing a lot now just by taking us there and inviting us to dinner. We can handle the situation".

"Are you sure?" asked Axel raising an eyebrow. "Last time someone said that, they were under Romulan siege".

"Nothing like that, no Captain" said the Ambassador while chuckling. "As my dear wife said, it's not the first time".

"You can still count on us for anything" said Axel.

"Thank you very much, Captain" smiled the Ambassador, finishing his dinner and standing up. "If you don't mind Captain, we would like to return to our ship. Thank you so much for your hospitality. Dinner was delicious".

"My pleasure, Ambassador" replied Axel while everyone else stood up. "Allow me to walk you back to the transporter room".

Then, they heard the explosion.

* * *

**_USS Kenya, NCC-85795_**

"WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM!?" shouted Cpt. Farrell.

"They must have acquired some form of cloaking device!" replied a crewman from the sensor terminal. "They began to appear out of nowhere!"

"Hail the Comet!" yelled Cpt. Farrell.

"They're hailing us already" replied the Communications Officer.

"On screen".

The damaged Denobulan Transport disappeared from view and was replaced by Axel's agitated face.

"Cpt. Farrell, what happened? We didn't pick up anything!" he said.

"We must drop out of warp" replied Cpt. Farrell. "We're surrounded".

"Agreed" replied Axel. "We will take care of the Ambassador and his wife. Let's blast those cold blooded creatures into hell".

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

The three ships dropped out of warp, followed by a swarm of at least 7 Gorn ships. Both Federation ships began a circling pattern surrounding the Denobulan ship, while firing at the Gorn that were coming in from every direction. Suddenly, about 5 more ships de-cloaked and began firing as well.

"Fire! Blast them out of the way!" yelled Axel.

"There's too many of them! We must get out of here!" replied Lt. Soto.

"We won't run. They will just follow us".

"Captain, the Kenya is losing weapons" signaled Cdr. Markus.

Suddenly, all of the Gorn ships targeted the Denobulan transport and destroyed it.

"NOOOO!" cried Mrs. Tropp from the door of the bridge, where she had been standing with Amy and the Ambassador".

"Amy, take them to my quarters" ordered Axel.

"Sir, they stopped firing and are now hailing us" said Jenna.

"On screen" ordered Axel turning around.

The sight of the lizard-like creature that appeared on screen made Axel sit on his chair. It was him, the same Gorn that had attacked him and then taken Lcdr. Welch so many years ago. He didn't know how, but he was sure of it.

"Look who we've got here" said the Gorn with irony. "I thought I would never see you again, boy".

"You… YOU!" yelled Axel.

"I wanted to mock the captain who thought could overrun the Gorn and I get the chance of mocking you also for being an incompetent and coward who beams out when his superior officer is in danger".

"What did you do to him?" asked Axel, boiling in rage, while everyone else stared at him.

"He was useless to us, so we handed him over to the Orions. We got a fair price for him. Sorry, captain, but our job here is done".

The transmission ended and Axel saw the Gorn ships warping out.

"Plot a pursuit course!" ordered Axel to Henry.

"Captain, we must assist the Kenya. They got heavy damage" said Lt. Soto.

"Pursuit course!" yelled Axel again.

"Axel!" yelled Amy. "Axel, stop! We have the Ambassador and we must take him to Denobula. Don't let your anger cloud your judgment".

Axel turned around, ready to retort, and saw everyone staring at him. Cdr. Markus was on his feet, looking at him with stern eyes.

"Axel, don't…" said Amy.

Axel sat down and swept his hand over his face. He then looked at Jenna and signaled her to hail the Kenya, and ordered a beaming party to assist with the repairs, then, he left the bridge, while leaving Cdr. Markus in charge. Amy followed him.

"Axel…" she said.

"Don't…" he interrupted. "I told you I wasn't fit for this mission. I almost ruined everything".

Amy kept her silence.

"I almost endangered the crew and the Ambassador, leaving a vulnerable fellow starship behind. I've lost my credibility".

"No, you haven't. And stop acting like a weakling" said Amy. "Cdr. Markus almost invoked Regulation 619, but he didn't… nobody did… because we believe in you".

"Thanks…" said Axel, unsure. "Where's the Ambassador?"

* * *

_Captain's log, stardate 50655.98_

_After finishing with the repairs on the Kenya, we reassumed course to Denobula. Once we reached our destination, Ambassador Tropp went to his office and, as he promised, managed to put a stop to the conflict, for now._

_We decided to stay for a few days, while Amy visited Mrs. Tropp's third husband, a Denobulan doctor named Grolik._

"I've never felt more uncomfortable in all my life" said Amy when she got back to the Comet. "Dr. Grolik spent half of the time cuddling with Mrs. Tropp, or Mrs. Grolik… with Asha, and the other half hitting on me… IN FRONT OF HIS WIFE! And she didn't even seem to care!"

"Well…" said Axel, trying to suppress the desire to laugh at his sister, "Denobulans are indeed more liberal in terms of marital possessiveness. They don't feel jealousy as we do".

"Well… he was actually kinda hot, you know, for a Denobulan" she admitted while blushing a bit.

Axel couldn't resist anymore and started laughing so hard that Amy couldn't help but laugh as well.

After a brief conversation with Cpt. Farrell, both starships went different ways into space.

* * *

**_Romulus_**

The Gorn captain entered the chamber where Noma was waiting for him. The Romulan was sharpening the edge of his sword, acting like if he hadn't noticed the Gorn coming into the room. His shoulder, which had gotten hurt back on Phoenix Prime when the Federation spoiled his plans, was now covered by a biomechanical implant that allowed his shoulder junction to work properly.

The Romulan guards outside the room closed the door and locked it, leaving Noma and the Gorn captain alone.

"The Ambassador escaped" said Noma with a soft, cold voice.

"We didn't know he had been transported to the Federation ship" replied the Gorn captain.

"I gave you the stealth technology so you could destroy them all, not so you could brag and then leave the prize behind" said Noma, walking closer to the Gorn. "Do you want me to kill your family?"

"It won't happen again, I promise" said the Gorn.

"No… it won't…" replied Noma, and with a swift move he cut the Gorn's head before he could realize what had happened. In orbit, a fleet of Warbirds was destroying what was left of the Gorn pirates.

He had thought that hiring mercenaries would be helpful, as he wouldn't be able to directly involve the Empire in any dark affairs. Nobody would be able to prove that the order to plant a bomb on Denobula and then try to kill the Ambassador on his way home had come from him. He had made a big mistake, not doing the job himself, but he wouldn't make the same mistake again.


	11. CHAPTER 7: A SHADOW IN THE DARK

**Crossover Chapter**

* * *

**_Rura Penthe, Klingon Penal Colony, stardate 50661.46_**

"Aktuh! We have another dead one!" called Cpt. Tel'peh.

"Damn Rigelians" said Aktuh while walking towards him. "They are too weak. Let's take the body outside and let it be food for the Targs".

The two Klingons put on their heavy cloaks and grabbed the corpse. They went outside and then tossed the body into the snowy floor. Cpt. Tel'peh heard his communicator beeping and picked it up.

"nuqneH!" he saluted.

"Captain, we're picking up something in our sensors entering the atmosphere" said the Klingon on the other end of the transmission. "It's big, sir".

"Have you tried hailing them?"

"Not responding, sir, but they're getting close".

"Destroy them, send them to Gre'Thor[i] and get through with it".

"Sir! They just disappeared from the sensors!"

"What? That's impossible!" yelled Cpt. Tel'peh.

Suddenly, both Klingons saw a flash and then something like a meteorite crossed the sky. They saw it impact on one of the hills not far away from them.

"What was that?" asked Aktuh.

"Do I look like I know?" replied Cpt. Tel'peh. "Let's go take a look; grab your weapon".

The two Klingons headed in the direction where they could see the smoking crater. When they arrived, they saw some form of metal egg-shaped pod in the middle of it. The access hatch was open and it was empty. Cpt. Tel'peh grabbed his communicator immediately:

"Intruder alert! All hands to wea…" he was silenced by an energy blast that hit him straight on the head, blowing it off, staining the snow with his purple blood.

"What the…!" Aktuh reached for his disruptor when he felt the blade going through his stomach. At first, he thought it was some form of translucent metal, but then the creature holding it de-cloaked. It was nearly 8 feet tall, with strong legs and muscled arms, clad in some sort of warrior armor made of metal which protected almost his entire body, adorned with bones from different species.

The creature had a long pair of metal blades attached to one of his arms, soaked in the Aktuh's blood. Then he looked up at the creature, its face covered by an elaborated mask, when it reached for his neck with the other hand and yanked upwards while letting out an earsplitting growl.

* * *

**_Starfleet Command Headquarters, stardate 50675.5_**

Adm. Jenkins was in his office along with Vice Admiral Hayes. They seemed to be worried, as they had just got of a transmission with the Klingon High Council. Situation must be really a critical one, if the Klingon were seeking help from the Federation. Adm. Jenkins decided to playback the transmission so they could re-think the situation:

"A few days ago, we received a report from Rura Penthe that an unknown vessel had entered the atmosphere of the planetoid and then disappeared from sensors. We believe they were using some form of cloaking device" said the Klingon High Chancellor. "They tried to make contact but then they launched some form of escape pod. Two of our men went to investigate and, as they didn't return, a patrol went out to find them, but they only found the remains. At least they died in duty and are now in Sto-Vo-Kor[ii]".

"Did you find the passenger of the pod?" has asked VAdm. Hayes.

"If we had, we wouldn't be asking for your help!" replied the Klingon. "We sent a Bird of Prey to investigate and it got blown out of orbit, so we believe that the attackers are still in orbit".

"So you now want us to send one of our ships to investigate?" asked Adm. Jenkins.

"We have an alliance, human" said the Chancellor. "If you have half the honor they say you have, you will help us".

Adm. Jenkins and VAdm. Hayes looked at each other and then VAdm. Hayes spoke again:

"We'll contact one of our vessels and send them as soon as we can".

"You are indeed honorable allies" replied the Klingon. "If your people don't succeed, may they die in honor and their souls forever feast in Sto-Vo-Kor. Qapla'!" and he ended the transmission.

Adm. Jenkins stood up from his desk and walked to the window. VAdm. Hayes stood up as well.

"Who do we have nearby?" asked VAdm. Hayes. "Or at least who is experienced enough?"

"Cpt. Farrell has had good dealings with the Klingons in the past, but she is still waiting for her new commission" said Adm. Jenkins. "What about Picard?"

"Not possible, the Enterprise is in a mission right now. What about Adm. Rick Vargas? He just got command of a new Nebula class, the USS Paladin. It's the perfect officer for the mission".

"Adm. Vargas is on his way to Andoria" said Adm. Jenkins. "But, I guess his son can handle this situation".

"You think so? He hasn't had any dealings with the Klingons. Besides, he hasn't been in command for long".

"He faced the Romulan siege in Phoenix Prime and delivered them to freedom on his first mission. I think he can handle it. Besides, the Comet is currently at Starbase 24, so he's pretty close".

"Ok then, contact the Comet" agreed VAdm. Hayes.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, Starbase 24_**

"Rura Penthe?" asked Axel after hearing his orders from Adm. Jenkins and VAdm. Hayes. "That's one god-forsaken place".

"We know that, Captain" agreed VAdm. Hayes, "but we made a promise to the Klingon Chancellor and Adm. Jenkins seems to have a lot of faith in your skills".

"Do we at least know what we're dealing with?"

"No. Unfortunately the Klingons don't have much knowledge neither so we're as blind as we can be".

"Well, we can expect some cold reception, if you know what I mean" said Axel with an attempt of humor. "I'll inform my crew and depart right away".

"We trust you'll handle the situation perfectly" said Adm. Jenkins. "Good luck, Captain".

"Thank you Admiral, I'll keep you posted" replied Axel and the transmission ended.

A few minutes later, he had briefed his senior officers about the nature of the mission. Naturally, none of them was very happy about it, but it was Lt. Soto who spoke up:

"Captain, do you think it's a good idea to do this?"

"We've got our orders, Lieutenant, and we will follow them" replied Axel.

"I've had experience with Klingons, none of them pleasant. Remember that not all of them have honored the truce, as you may recall with the recent incident on Veridian III".

"The House of Duras is an antagonizing faction and an enemy of the Klingon Empire itself. Not all of the Klingons are as willing to break the truce".

"What will we do if we find any survivors?" asked Amy, trying to turn the tide of the conversation.

"We'll deactivate the magnetic field surrounding the colony and beam them to the Comet to be treated" said Axel.

"Most of the inhabitants of Rura Penthe are criminals and enemies of the Klingon Empire" pointed out Lt. Soto. "I don't think…"

"The Klingon High Council sent us to investigate, and we will" interrupted Axel. "Any Klingon survivors will be taken back to Kronos, and any prisoners will be delivered to Klingon justice. We are not going to interfere with Klingon politics".

"Sorry, Captain" apologized Lt. Soto.

"Cdr. Markus, we need full scans on the Beta Penthe system as soon as we enter. We don't want to be surprised. Lt. Soto, keep shields raised at all times. Amy, I will need to borrow Dr. Duvak for the mission, I need you to stay on alert and be ready to receive the injured, Cdr. Peterson, do you mind if I take Mr. Young with me again?"

"Not at all" replied Cdr. Peterson.

"Thanks. When we get there I will be going down with Lt. Soto, Cdr. Markus, Mr. Young, Dr. Duvak and as many armed volunteers as we can get. I will require at least a party of 15 in total. We'll use the gig[iii] to travel into the surface. I don't want to be surprised by an ambush as we beam down, besides we would have to beam too far away because of the magnetic field".

Axel got up and dismissed his officers, as the Comet finished undocking and left Starbase 24, on its way to Rura Penthe.

* * *

The Comet arrived into Rura Penthe in a moment. Sensor readings indicated no hostiles in the region, but there was a warp trail from an unknown ship going out of the system. They tried to hail the colony but didn't get any response.

"If we're going down, we better do it fast. It's almost dark on this side of the planetoid" said Cdr. Markus.

"You're right, let's suit up and go to the gig". He commed Cdr. Peterson, "Mr. Peterson, I need you to take the bridge".

"On my way captain" replied Cdr. Peterson.

Minutes later, they boarded the captain's yatch, the Apollo, and undocked from the lower part of the saucer section of the Comet.

"We must be swift" said Axel to Henry, who had only come as a pilot to take them to the surface and then was going to return to the Comet. "It will be dark in less than half an hour and we don't want to be outside by that time".

"Captain, I'm picking up life signs inside the compound" said Cdr. Markus. "At least 7 Klingon, 2 Andorians, 1 Nausicaan and another life form which I can't determine".

"Where are they?" asked Axel.

"Well, they seem to be scattered all over the compound, but mainly stationary".

"Henry, take us as close as you can to the compound entrance. Everyone set phasers to stun, treat everyone with extreme caution, especially the Nausicaan, those can be vicious. Don't forget that this is a prison after all".

They landed not far away from the door. When they had all entered the compound Henry took off and returned to the Comet. The tunnels were dark as far as they could see, so they had to light the way with the flashlights installed on the rifles. Cdr. Markus motioned them forward, while holding up his tricorder.

"Two Klingons are locked up somewhere 2 decks below" he said.

"We should try to reach them first" said Axel. "They may be able to tell us what happened".

"Captain" said Cdr. Markus, "I've lost track of the other life form. I'm only picking up the Klingons, the Andorians and the Nausicaan now".

"Be on your guard, everyone" ordered Axel. "We don't know what we're dealing with".

"Sir, what's this?" asked Terry Young, pointing his light to a wall.

"Let me take a look" said Dr. Duvak. He took out his tricorder and looked at the readings on it. "Its blood… Cardassian blood, to be more specific".

"Is it fresh?" asked Axel.

"Hard to tell, with the low temperatures, but I don't think it's been here for more than 2 days".

"Let's keep moving" ordered Axel. "We must find the survivors before they meet the same fate".

"We should try to find the power generator" said Terry Young. "I could turn on the lights and we may be able to find our way easier".

"We don't have schematics for the Compound" said Cdr. Markus.

"True" said Axel. "Let's find the Klingons and then we can go to the generator".

They kept walking until they found a set of stairs that went down, deeper into the compound. They took each step carefully and trying to remain as silent as possible.

"This place gives me the creeps" said one of the crewmen.

"I feel like there's someone watching us since we came in" said another.

"Fear and paranoia are developed by a sense of insecurity" said Dr. Duvak. "Usually humans compare present situations with past experiences and…"

"Please, someone shut him up" said Ens. Yeung, the only woman in the group.

"In here" signaled Cdr. Markus.

They reached a door that seemed to be locked from the inside. Terry Young began taking out his tools to try to cut through the door, but Axel stopped him.

"Wait, if we barge in, they may think we're hostile" he knocked on the door. "This is Cpt. Axel Vargas, of the Federation Starship Comet. We've been asked to come in your aid by the Klingon High Council in Kronos".

No response.

"Please, step back so we can open the door and assist you. Is there anybody hurt?" he insisted.

The door opened and a Klingon appeared holding out a disruptor in one hand and a bat'leth sword on the other, raised above his head. He seemed to be scared to death and had a bandage wrapped around his left tight.

"Easy" said Axel raising his hands, "we mean no harm. We brought medication and we have a ship in orbit waiting to take you all to Kronos. We came here to save you, don't be afraid".

"I'm not afraid to die" said the Klingon.

"But you don't need to, not like this" said Axel. "There is no honor in dying locked in a dark room with an injured leg".

This seemed to make an impact on the Klingon, as he slowly lowered his weapons and stepped back allowing them to enter. A Klingon female was on an improvised bed in a corner, she had a deep cut on her face and a bloody bandage around her chest.

"What happened to her?" asked Dr. Duvak, approaching her.

"The ghost almost got her" explained the other Klingon. "My name is Bor'Ka, she is my sister Kara. We managed to get in here before the ghost could rip her apart, but I don't think she will survive. I can't let her die without honor and be forbidden to enter Sto-Vo-Kor".

"She won't die today" said Axel, trying to sound reassuring. "Dr. Duvak will keep her alive until we can bring her to the Comet and treat her better. Bor'Ka, we need to get to the power generator, we need to get power back and lower the magnetic field so we can beam you all out of here".

"I won't leave my sister alone!"

"She won't be alone. The doctor and three of my men will stay behind".

"If she dies…"

"Then you will honor her by avenging her death. But she won't die".

They left the room, leaving Dr. Duvak with Ens. Yeung and two other crewmen behind. After they had walked for a couple minutes Axel spoke up:

"You mentioned a ghost, what did you mean?"

"It moves in the shadows, you can't see him until it is too late. I saw him rip the head of one of the Nausicaan prisoners, spine along with the head, and then disappear again".

"Did you manage to see it well?"

"We tried to shoot at it, but we missed every hit. It seems to have some sort of personal shield generator".

"We scanned more of your Klingon companions, 5 more, still alive somewhere in the compound. We must find them all and arm them. There are also 2 Andorians and another Nausicaan".

"Let them die!" said Bor'Ka with a sharp tone of voice. "The 2 surviving Andorians, actually the only Andorians in the whole colony, are terrorists, and the Nausicaan killed one of my men to save himself".

"Sir!" said Terry Young. "Sir, wait!"

"What is it Terry?" asked Axel, while they all stopped.

"Captain, where's Ens. Belmont?" he asked anxious.

They all looked back and, after a recount, they realized they were down by one person. Axel pressed his combadge and tried to reach Ens. Belmont.

"Ensign, do you hear me?" asked Axel, getting no response. "Mr. Belmont? Please respond".

"It was the ghost" said Bor'Ka. "The ghost claimed his blood, and now his blood sings from within him".

"We must find him" said Axel. "We must go back and find him".

"He's dead, Captain!" yelled the Klingon grabbing Axel's arm. "Don't waste more of your men. We will need them to send this honorless wraith back into Gre'Thor".

Axel looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

"Let's move on, each one of you stick to a partner and cover each other. Let's go".

They kept walking the dark hallways, going down several sets of stairs, until they got to the room where they kept the power generator. Bor'Ka opened the door and they all went inside. Terry Young put himself to work immediately:

"Main control panel seems to be damaged by some form of energy blast, but the auxiliary power relays are intact. I can turn on emergency lights in less than 10 minutes, but it will take several hours before I can repair the main panel and deactivate the magnetic field".

"Do what you must, crewman" said Axel, and Terry Young went back to the terminal. A few minutes later, he signaled two thumbs up and turned on the switch, and a soft light filled the room while emergency power was restored in the whole facility.

A few minutes later, Cdr. Markus then heard a beep from his tricorder and lifted it up.

"What is it?" asked Axel.

"Sir, I've detected the Andorians" said Cdr. Markus. "They're heading this way".

* * *

Narcaln and Tharia were running down the hallway. Someone had reactivated the emergency power and the door that kept them locked in their cell had been automatically opened.

"Come on, brother!" yelled Tharia, yanking Narcaln's arm.

"Are you crazy?" replied Narcaln. "I can't run with this" he pointed his bandaged ankle. "If the wraith finds us we're easy prey".

They heard it then: the soft menacing purr that their fellow Andorian cellmate had heard before being impaled by an invisible spear. Tharia pulled her brother and tossed his arm around her shoulder.

"We must get out. We have to find the one who turned on the power. It might be a rescue team".

They got out from the cellblock and walked as fast as Narcaln's ankle allowed them to.

* * *

_He had finally found them. He had known that the many kills that he had managed weren't enough. _

_Someone else has arrived, and he had already collected one of them. It was vaguely familiar: his skull, he had seen it in the halls of the hunters from old. He had to wipe the place clean, so that he could enter with honor the higher circles of his clan._

_He could barely see them as their bodies were so cold, but the environment was colder so they were still distinguishable. He purred to scare them, and it worked; now they were out. It was time to hunt._

* * *

Axel and Cdr. Markus were by the door, along with two other men. When Cdr. Markus gave the signal, they opened the door and pulled the two Andorians inside, closing the door again. Bor'Ka reached for one of them but Axel held up his hand.

"No" he said, "let them be".

"Please, don't hurt us!" asked one of the Andorians, a female.

"We won't" promised Axel and stretched out his hand. "I'm Captain Axel Vargas, of the Federation Starship USS Comet, from Earth".

"My name is Tharia sh'Chari" said the Andorian, "and this is my brother, Narcaln".

"Sorry for this" apologized Axel, pulling the other Andorian to his feet. "We came here to find out what was going on".

"We must leave" said Narcaln. "The wraith will hunt us, and we will die if we don't leave".

Bor'Ka stood up menacing in front of both Andorians.

"You will go nowhere!" he barked at them. "You are condemned to be here forever as criminals".

Then, a loud bang sounded on the door and everyone looked at it while backing away from it.

"What was that!?" asked Terry Young.

"That was the ghost" said Bor'Ka.

The door opened, everyone pointed their phasers in that direction, but there was nobody there. One of the crewmen approached the door and closed it again. Axel was the first to notice the laser beam pointing at the crewman's chest.

"Crewman! Get down!" he yelled, but the energy blast hit him and blew him up to pieces.

Everyone started firing in that direction, and they heard the clank of footsteps on the other side of the room and a spear flew towards Axel, but barely missed him.

"Let's get out of here!" ordered Axel, so everyone went for the door, and exited the room.

"We must get back to my sister" said Bor'Ka. "I'm not leaving without her".

"Let's go, always stay on guard and shoot at anything that moves" said Axel.

They walked all the way back, jumping at any noise. Axel entered first the room where they had left Lt. Soto and the others, when a heavy fist hit him on the jaw and sent him to the corner. Cdr. Markus shot the Nausicaan before he could reach Axel again and he fell on the floor stunned. They entered the room and saw everyone unconscious, except for Ens. Yeung who was sprawled in a corner with a broken arm and another crewman who lay on the floor with the neck bent in an awkward position.

"What happened here?" asked Cdr. Markus while trying to help Axel to his feet.

"He opened the door when the power came back" explained Ens. Yeung. "He caught us unaware: he killed crewman Ryan and used Dr. Duvak as shield when Lt. Soto tried to stun him; then he took crewman Ryan's weapon and stunned the lieutenant and crewman Anderson and when I tried to stop him he tossed me to the floor and broke my arm. After that, he just waited while pointing at me with the phaser gun".

"Is my sister ok?" asked Bor'Ka.

"She's asleep" said Ens. Yeung. "The doctor gave her a sedative so she will be alright. Let's just contact the Comet and get beamed out of here".

"That won't be possible" said Terry Young, and he explained the attack on the power room. "I discovered that the magnetic field is powered by a separate generator, which I can't access if I don't turn on the main power".

"We must get out of here" said Axel, now recovering from the blow. "We must hail the Comet and tell them to send the shuttles".

Narcaln's antennae went rigid and he turned around.

"We better do it fast… it's getting close".

"Captain, I'm picking up the Klingon survivors. They are all moving towards the generator room" said Cdr. Markus.

"They better not turn of the emergency power" said Terry Young.

"Let's get out of here" said Axel. "We can't do anything for them".

Bor'Ka turned around and faced Axel.

"You help the criminals, you help my people" he said in a menacing tone of voice.

"We were sent here to find answers, not to rescue anyone" replied Axel. "We are rescuing you and your sister, and we're taking our Federation fellow Andorians to Kronos along".

"YOU WHAT?" yelled Tharia.

"You are under Klingon jurisdiction" said Axel to her. "We will provide you with Federation defense during trial".

Bor'Ka didn't say anything else so, after reanimating the unconscious ones and giving them a minute to recover, they all exited the room. They had been walking for 5 minutes when they all heard the soft purr and, before they could react, Narcaln was split in half.

Tharia's screem of anguish was echoed by the loud growl of the creature that materialized in front of them. They began to fire, but the armor covering the creature took almost no damage. It rammed them and a long spear sprang in his hand. It tried to hit them with swift moves, knocking some down in the process.

"Fall back!" ordered Axel. "Everybody retreat! We must get out from the complex!"

A device on the creature's shoulder sprang up and a burst of energy was shot from it, hitting another crewman and staining the wall with his blood.

It was then, that 5 Klingons jumped from the dark and lunged at the monster knocking it down. One of the got jabbed with the creature's wrist blades and another got a burst of energy shot at his head.

"Go!" yelled one of the Klingons. "Let us die with honor! Qapla'!"

"Qapla'!" replied Bor'Ka, while the crew of the Comet ran down the hallway.

* * *

_These were ferocious warriors, he had to admit it. He had fought with honorable enemies before, but he had never encountered another species that seemed to find honor in dying in battle._

_But this was HIS time for honor, not theirs. He reached out with his wrist blades and stabbed another one on the head, yanking upwards and retrieving its skull. Only two more, one of them had taken his spear and now was trying to impale him. He simply targeted with his shoulder cannon and blew him up._

_Finally, the last one seemed to have finally begun to feel fear. He said something he couldn't understand in a strange tongue: "Dujeychugh jagh nIv yItuHQo'_[iv]_"._

_He blew him up with another burst of energy from his cannon… now, to finish his purge._

* * *

The crew of the Comet was standing outside. The shuttles could be seen coming down and would land in just a couple minutes. It was dark and freezing cold, only Tharia seemed to be unaffected by the low temperature (after all, Andoria was a class P planet), but she had her view lost in the distance.

The shuttles were about to land when a burst of energy hit one of them, destroying the cockpit and making it spiral down and crash into the ground. They all turned around and saw the creature standing up a few meters away.

Bor'Ka began walking slowly towards it. Axel tried to stop him but the Klingon yanked his arm free and moved on. The creature began walking too, and surprised them all when it removed its shoulder cannon and tossed it to the floor, then took off its armor and tossed it along with its spear. In the end, it removed its mask, revealing a big head with broad forehead, deep eye sockets and a compound mouth made of an inner jaw and 4 external appendixes.

Bor'Ka ran towards the creature while the shuttles landed and the others began boarding. Axel stayed behind, waiting for the fight to end.

The creature was a ferocious warrior; they both sent strong blows to their respective opponents, and both were very fast. However, in a swift move, Bor'Ka retrieved a D'k tahg knife from his waist and sank it into the beast's belly.

A glowing green puddle of blood began forming on the floor, while Bor'Ka saw his enemy fall. He retrieved his knife, kicked the creature and turned around to go to the last shuttle. He was about 2 feet away from Axel when the creature lifted his arm and the two wrist blades were shot from their sockets and sank into the Klingon's back.

Axel ran toward's Bor'Ka and dragged him to the shuttle, carried him inside and closed the door. They rose into the air and followed the remaining shuttles into the atmosphere.

* * *

_He had failed. The Clan had been dishonored. He only had one option. He looked at his wrist pad and saw that it had been broken during the fight. He felt weak for the loss of blood, and he wouldn't even be able to sacrifice himself like his ancestors would have. Dishonor would stain the memory of his existence._

_He felt life going away. He saw four comrades materialize around him. They had watched him fail; now they were watching him die._

* * *

_Four warriors had been watching the fight from afar, but they were now standing around the fallen one. Their hunter had been slayed by an inferior opponent. One of them looked into the sky and saw the three transports disappearing out of sight._

_He motioned the other three and they picked up the fallen's gear, with a blue liquid from a vial they dissolved the corpse, and they all returned to the hill from where they had been watching. With a command on his wrist pad, a small starship materialized in front of them. They boarded it and it disappeared again as it rose into the sky. _

_They would regain honor for their clan._

_They would follow._

_They would hunt._

* * *

[i] Klingon equivalent to hell.

[ii] Klingon equivalent to heaven.

[iii] Another name by which the Captain's Yatch was known.

[iv] "There is nothing shameful in falling before a superior enemy" – Klingon Proverb


	12. CHAPTER 8: AFTERSHADOW

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, orbiting Rura Penthe_**

Amy rushed towards the shuttles that were landing in the shuttlebay, followed by her medical team. Axel got off the shuttle along with Lt. Soto and Terry Young, the three of them carrying a Klingon soaked in blood, with two metal blades sunk on his back.

"Amy! We need emergency medical assistance!" ordered Axel as soon as he saw her. "Help Dr. Duvak bringing the other survivors to sickbay" he said and went into a turbolift.

"What happened?" asked Amy to Dr. Duvak, as they both tried to carry a Klingon woman, and the rest of the survivors assisted each other so they could get to sickbay.

"We were attacked by the most vicious creature I've ever seen" he replied.

They got to sickbay as Axel was storming out with Cdr. Markus.

"Amy, do whatever you can but don't let them die!" he said and went into another turbolift with Cdr. Markus.

Axel and Cdr. Markus got to the bridge and Cdr. Peterson rose to his feet.

"Cap…" he began.

"No time for explanations. Henry, set a course to Kronos, maximum warp. Jenna, contact Starfleet Command and the Klingon High Council immediately."

"Yes, Captain" she said. After a few minutes, both the Klingon High Chancellor and VAdm. Hayes appeared on splitscreen.

"Cpt. Vargas, what happened?" asked VAdm. Hayes, looking at Axel's wounds and bruises.

"Vice Admiral Hayes… your Honor" said Axel, addressing both VAdm. Hayes and the Klingon High Chancellor respectively, "we made contact with something down there. There are no records of the species in our files, but it was ferocious. One of the survivor guards managed to beat them in the end, an honorable warrior" he added, for the Klingon Chancellor, "but he sustained heavy wounds. We are trying to save his life."

"Don't do such a thing!" yelled the Klingon Chancellor. "Don't deprive him of the honor of Sto-Vo-Kor! He will have died in battle, let him."

Axel looked at VAdm. Hayes, who nodded, so he turned to look at the Klingon Chancellor.

"As you wish" he complied. "We're on our way to Kronos to deliver the other Klingon survivor and an Andorian prisoner."

"How long 'till you get here?" asked the Klingon Chancellor.

"We should be getting to Kronos in less than 24 hours. We're going at maximum warp."

"We will be expecting you by the border of the Neutral Zone with a patrol ship. Do not cross the Neutral Zone without the escort" ordered the Klingon Chancellor.

"Captain, we're counting on you to get to Kronos and return to Starbase 24 as soon as possible" added VAdm. Hayes. "Adm. Jenkins is on his way to rendezvous with you in Kronos as well."

"I'll do my best. I've lost a lot of men today, Vice Admiral, we need to rest."

"Your men died with honor" said the Klingon Chancellor with a solemn voice. "We will not forget their sacrifice."

The Klingon Chancellor ended the transmission, and after a court farewell, so did VAdm. Hayes. Axel left Cdr. Markus in charge and he went back to sickbay.

* * *

Amy was running back and forth trying to tend the injured. Some had mere bruises, but there were other with deep cuts and a few broken bones. The Andorian female, Tharia, was out of danger but she was lying still in a bed as silent as possible. Kara, the Klingon woman, was recovering in her own bed, being tended by Dr. Duvak. Axel came into sickbay just when she confirmed the death of Bor'Ka.

"Is he…?" he began.

"There was nothing I could do" said Amy.

"Well, according to the Klingon Chancellor, he died with honor" replied Axel. "How is the rest of the crew?"

"Two with broken ribs, one with a splintered femur, another with a broken arm and all of them bruised badly. Crewman Hernandez nearly bled to death. What happened down there, Captain?"

"Later, not the best time. We will rendezvous with a Klingon escort on the edge of the Neutral Zone and then continue our way to Kronos."

"We're going into Klingon space?" asked Amy in surprise. "Why can't they just pick up their people and we move on?"

"Orders from VAdm. Hayes" explained Axel.

A few hours later, Axel was in the briefing room with his senior officers. He had just explained what had happened to Amy and Cdr. Peterson, who hadn't been witnesses of the horror they lived in Rura Penthe.

"It's a shame we weren't at least able to recover the energy weapon" said Lt. Soto. "We may have been able to learn some of its technology."

"I bet the Klingons will think the same thing" said Cdr. Peterson.

"We will meet with the Klingons soon, so we better go back to the bridge" said Axel.

"I will go back to engineering and make sure the warp core is holding" pointed Cdr. Peterson. "We need to keep those EPS manifolds checked when traveling at maximum warp."

* * *

The USS Comet dropped out of warp on the edge of the Neutral Zone, and was met by three Vor'cha battle cruisers. After a quick word with the captain of the lead ship, they reassumed course to Kronos.

"Dr. Vargas to the bridge" Axel heard Amy through the comlink.

"Yes, Doctor, what is it?" inquired Axel.

"The Andorian is not in her bed, we can't find her."

"On my way" replied Axel and closed the channel. "Cdr. Markus, you have the bridge."

Axel gestured Lt. Soto to follow him and they both went to sickbay. Amy was talking to a few assistants and Dr. Duvak.

"How did this happen?" asked Axel.

"No idea, Captain" replied Dr. Duvak. "At least she didn't hurt the Klingon. That would have meant trouble for us."

"Lt. Soto, return to the bridge and ask Cdr. Markus to run a bioscan on the ship. We need to find her quickly" asked Axel.

"Yes, Captain" said Lt. Soto, and he left.

* * *

_Captain's log, stardate 50669.36_

_We should be getting to Kronos in a couple hours. We have located the body of the Andorian in a room on D-deck. She appears to have committed suicide. After discussing it, we have decided to take her body back to Andoria as soon as we are done with the Klingons in Kronos._

"Dropping out of warp, Captain" signaled Henry.

"Thank you, Henry. Cdr. Markus, you have the bridge. I'll take the gig along with Lt. Soto and the Klingon down to the surface."

Axel signaled Lt. Soto and they both left the bridge on their way to sickbay. Kara was on her feet, aided by Amy, and the corpse of Bor'Ka was on a stretcher covered by a red and green blanket with the emblem of the Klingon Empire.

"Your brother was an honorable man" said Axel to Kara, while they were boarding the Apollo.

"He now feasts in Sto-Vo-Kor with our ancestors" she replied.

"Captain, two Klingon shuttles are waiting for us to escort us down to the Klingon High Council building" said Lt. Soto.

"Let's go, then."

The Apollo detached from the saucer of the Comet and followed the two Klingon shuttles into the planet.

* * *

_We haven't been detected._

_We have followed our prey and reached their home planet._

_Our vengeance is at hand._

* * *

**_Klingon High Council, Qo'noS_**

Axel was standing with Kara in the middle of the Klingon High Council chamber. Kara had finished recounting what had happened since they detected the vessel entering the atmosphere, up until the point where they had been found by the crew of the Comet. Axel continued the story and told them about the attack from the creature. They didn't refer to it as a ghost, but as a predator: always in search of new prey, always a hunter in the shadows. Lt. Soto came in then, he was pushing the hovering stretcher with the body of Bor'Ka.

"This is one of the most honorable warriors I've met" said Axel with a solemn tone of voice. "He fought bravely and fiercely against this predator, fought for his sister and for his allies, but above all, fought to defend the glory of the Klingon Empire. He died fighting his enemy."

"He will be given all of the honors he deserves" said the Klingon Chancellor, standing up.

The rest of the Klingons of the council hammered their fists on their desks. Axel and Lt. Soto made a reverence and were escorted outside by two guards. They had walked a few meters when the Klingon Chancellor came out of the room.

"Captain" he called.

"Your honor" replied Axel, turning around.

"You are an honorable man. You kept your word and you aided our people. Please, accept this as a gift from an ally" he said and handed out a D'k tahg knife, the one that had belonged to Bor'Ka.

"It will be an honor to have it from you" replied Axel, taking it.

After another reverence, they returned to the gig and then to the Comet.

"You seem to know pretty well how to deal with Klingons" said Lt. Soto when they took off.

"My father told me everything about them when I was a child. He said that if I ever encountered them, I had to be very careful and respectful at all times. I had to speak of honor and try to think as a warrior."

"Your father is a wise man."

"He is indeed" agreed Axel, with a smile.

They docked under the saucer of the Comet and returned to the bridge.

"Captain, you came in just in time" said Cdr. Markus from the sensor terminal.

"What is it, Commander?" asked Axel sitting on his chair.

"An unknown vessel has de-cloaked about 4000 kms from our position."

"Klingon?"

"No sir, something else."

"Jenna" said Axel, turning around "open a channel and try to contact them."

"Yes, Captain" she said, and a few second later she added "they're responding, Captain. Frequency open."

"On screen" said Axel.

When the creature appeared on screen Jenna screamed, and Lt. Soto, Cdr. Markus and Axel rose rapidly to their feet. It was of the same species than the one they had fought in Rura Penthe, however, was clad in a more elaborate armor, adorned with a red cape, and didn't have a mask on. Its physical features were practically the same.

"My name is Captain Axel Vargas, of the Federation…" began Axel.

The creature interrupted him with a growl and began making a series of purring sounds.

"The UT doesn't recognize the language, Captain" said Jenna.

"What do you want with us?"

The predator began making those sounds again and the UT finally picked it up.

"… honor to the Clan" finished the creature.

"Who are you?" asked Axel. "We can live in peace."

"There is no such thing. You are prey, we are the Yautja. We are hunters. You dishonored the Clan. We will restore it."

Axel was about to reply but the Yautja closed the channel.

"They're charging weapons" said Lt. Soto.

"Red alert! Tell the Klingons to open fire!" ordered Axel.

A beam of plasma was shot from a cannon on one side of the Yautja ship and one of the Vor'cha battle cruisers blew up when receiving the impact.

The Comet began firing its phasers and torpedoes, along with the remaining two Klingon ships. Another plasma beam hit the Comet, but the shields took most of the impact.

"Forward shielding down to 20%" said Lt. Soto. "They won't hold another attack like that."

"Target their weapons, fire quantum torpedoes."

The Yautja ship was charging another plasma beam when the cannon was destroyed by the torpedoes, but another beam from the other side was shot and the Comet took the hit.

"We lost starboard shields, Captain!" signaled Lt. Soto.

"Hull breaches are being reported on all decks" said Jenna.

"Seal those sections, and return fire!" ordered Axel.

"Sir, there are more ships dropping out of warp" said Cdr. Markus.

An Intrepid Class ship dropped out of warp near the site of battle, along with two Klingon Birds of Prey, and began firing at the Yautja. The Vor'cha battle cruiser that was left fired a set of torpedoes and Axel ordered Lt. Soto to fire quantum torpedoes.

The Yautja ship stopped firing and there were a set of explosions from the inside, breaching most of the hull, and the bow of the ship exploded, leaving the stern section adrift. Axel managed them to recognize the registry of the Intrepid Class ship: it was the USS Oracle, Adm. Jenkins' ship.

"Captain, the Oracle is hailing us" signaled Jenna.

"On screen" said Axel.

"Cpt. Vargas" said Adm. Jenkins when the image came up.

"You couldn't have timed your arrival better, Admiral" said Axel. "We were getting a beating here."

"I had a hunch that you were going to require assistance."

"And you were right, as usual."

"We will escort you back to Starbase 24, there we can complete repairs on the Comet and I can brief you personally on your next mission."

"We will prepare for warp, then" agreed Axel, and the transmission ended.

* * *

_Our ship has been destroyed. I'm the only survivor, but not for long. My injuries are deep and I can feel the blood pumping out of my body. I should send a signal to our Clan, so they can destroy these enemies and restore honor to our people, but my wristpad is damaged. The only remaining thing to do is to destroy the rest of the ship._

_I can barely reach for the controls, but I did it. Now… it's time…_

* * *

Axel was the first to see it when the transmission ended: the stern of the Yautja ship was emitting electrical bursts, there were more inner explosions, and then the whole ship exploded in an enormous mass of blue fire.

The USS Oracle was near so it received the impact of the shockwave from the explosion, and one of the Birds of Prey was destroyed by it. Axel rose to his feet as he saw one of the nacelles of the Oracle blow up and part of the saucer being breached.

"Cdr. Markus! Scan for Adm. Jenkins' signal and bring him to the Comet" ordered Axel.

"I got him locked, Captain" said Cdr. Markus. "His signal is weak but he's still alive."

"Trasnporter room" said Axel over the comlink in his armchair, "energize!"

"We have him" said a voice over the comlink a few seconds later. "He's unconscious, but alive."

"Take him to sickbay and get ready to transport as many survi…" he interrupted himself when he saw the Oracle's saucer section explode, followed shortly by the secondary hull.

Axel sat back on his chair and lifted a hand to his face.

"Captain, the Klingons are hailing us" said Jenna.

"On screen, Ensign" acknowledged Axel.

"Captain" said the Klingon who appeared on screen. "We will escort you back to the border of the Neutral Zone."

"Thank you. We will leave immediately."

"Qapla'!" said the Klingon raising a fist to his chest.

"Qapla'!" replied Axel.

"Henry" said Axel looking at him. "Set a course to Starbase 24, maximum warp."

"Aye, Sir."

A couple minutes later, they were on their way.

* * *

_Captain's log, supplemental_

_We're on our way to Starbase 24. We hope that we don't encounter any more Yautjas on the way, as the Comet is heavily damaged and we won't be able to sustain another battle. Dr. Vargas has treated Adm. Jenkins' injuries, but he doesn't seem to regain conscience. As far as she has told me, and after confirmation by Dr. Duvak's mind meld, the Admiral seems to be in a deep coma, induced by the trauma he received on his head._

_As soon as we reach Starbase 24, I'm supposed to contact Starfleet Command, so that VAdm. Hayes can brief me on our next mission._

Axel returned to the bridge. He had lost track of how long he had been locked up in his quarters, but he guessed that they should be arriving shortly.

"Henry, how long 'till we get to Starbase 24?"

"About half an hour, Captain."

Axel sat down in his chair and pressed the comlink to address the whole crew:

"Attention all crew, this is the Captain. We're nearing Starbase 24 and we will be docking to make repairs on the ship. Any personnel, who are not directly involved in the repairs, take some time to yourselves, write or call your families, read a book, get some rest. We will get a new mission after the repairs are finished, and according to Cdr. Peterson that may take about a week. You've all been doing an excellent job and you deserve a short shore leave."

Axel ended the transmission and left the bridge again. A few minutes later, he felt the soft sound of the ship dropping out of warp. He looked through his window and saw Starbase 24 as they approached and sighed.

After the experiences from the last few days, he could also use some rest.


	13. CHAPTER 9: DEADLY PROFITS AND PROMISES

**_Ferenginar, Capital of the Ferengi Alliance, stardate 50681.2_**

"And exactly how will I benefit in all this?" asked Wark, standing up from the chair behind his desk.

"I will give you a chest of latinum, nothing more" said Noma, standing up as well.

The Ferengi walked towards the Romulan and looked at him in the eyes.

"Make it three and you've got yourself a deal" he said.

Noma couldn't suppress a laugh.

"Do you really think I will pay you that much? I could easily wipe you out of existence and find someone with more brains."

"Rule of acquisition number 98: every man has his price" said Wark.

"Here's another rule for you" said Noma, taking out a disruptor and pointing at Wark: "there is no profit if you're dead."

The Ferengi lowered his eyes at the gun and then smiled.

"Let it be two chests and at least one human female from the ship before it's destroyed."

Noma smiled and lowered his gun.

"I like you so, if you succeed, you'll get your two chests" he agreed. "If you fail, then you better hope I don't find you again."

"Just out of curiosity" said Wark when Noma was about to exit the office, "why do you want this Captain Vargas dead?"

"We're at war, my mercenary greedy friend" said Noma with a smirk, "and in war you either win or lose."

"Ah" said Wark, "war is good for business."

Noma nodded and left the office.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, in pursuit at warp 7 of an Orion Transport near the Romulan Neutral Zone_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50684.02_

_We have finally found the Orions and are closing in to them. I've informed VAdm. Hayes that we have found them and we have received orders to disable the transport if necessary. All attempts to hail them have been unsuccessful so we guess they know why we're here._

"Captain, they're accelerating to warp 7.5" said Cdr. Markus.

"Henry, go to warp 8, we must gain on them. Lt. Soto, as soon as we're close enough, target their engines and fire phasers, full power."

The Comet lunged forward with the speed increment. Cdr. Markus turned around and announced:

"Captain, four other ships are closing in to our position, bearing 182.5-mark-45[i]."

"Friends or foes?" asked Axel.

"I'm not sure, Sir. They're Ferengi ships, D'Kora class."

"Jenna, hail them and ask them to change course. Lt. Soto, get ready on phasers" ordered Axel.

"Captain, they're not responding to our hails" announced Jenna.

"Sir, the Orion ship is charging weapons!" said Lt. Soto.

"Fire!" ordered Axel.

The Comet fired phasers at the Orion transport, but their shields kept holding. The Orions retaliated with a burst of particle beams hitting the Comet.

"Shields down to 70%, Sir" said Lt. Soto. He then added, "Captain, the Ferengi are charging weapons."

"What?" yelled Axel.

The Comet got full impact of the torpedoes and missiles shot by the Ferengi. Then, all systems began failing.

"Captain, we're losing shields" said Lt. Soto.

"Helm and warp engines are not responding, Captain" said Henry. "We're dropping out of warp!"

The Comet dropped out of warp when the second EMP emitted by one of the Ferengi ships hit them. It wasn't powerful enough to fully deprive the Comet of their systems, but caused several malfunctions on primary weapons and warp core.

"Engineering to the bridge. Captain, what's going on?" Cdr. Peterson's voice could be heard over the comlink. "Our monitors just began shutting down and we're losing power to the warp core."

"We received an EMP from a Ferengi marauder" explained Axel.

"Captain, they're hailing us" announced Jenna.

"On screen" ordered Axel.

"Greetings, Captain" said the Ferengi that appeared on screen. "My name is Wark."

"What gives you the right to attack a Federation vessel?" asked Axel.

"We have been warned that you are undergoing dealings that interfere with the Ferengi Alliance's interests" quickly lied Wark. "You know the rule: expand or die."

"We were on a rescue mission and you allowed the Orion pirates to escape."

"Don't worry about that" said Wark. "We can work out some deal if you're interested in continuing your pursuit."

"What kind of deal?" asked Axel.

"Allow me to dock with your ship, we will talk in person" the transmission ended.

"Cdr. Peterson, how long 'till we get weapons and warp back?" asked Axel through the comlink.

"We need at least an hour to recharge the systems."

"Make it fast" said Axel and then closed the channel. He gestured Cdr. Markus to follow him and they both went to the airlock where the Ferengi ship was already docking.

* * *

Axel was with Cdr. Markus, Wark and 4 armed Ferengi escorts. They had been talking for almost an hour. Wark seemed to be anxious.

"I can't offer more" said Axel. "If you don't comply, we will inform Starfleet Command and the Ferengi Alliance will be charged with conspiracy against the Federation."

"We will return to our ship and think about it" said Wark, standing up and motioning his escort to walk him to the airlock.

After they undocked, Axel and Cdr. Markus returned to the bridge. Axel paged Cdr. Peterson through his armchair.

"Commander, how're we doing?" asked Axe.

"We've got warp drive online, but I can't promise more than warp 7" replied Cdr. Peterson.

"And what about weapons?"

"Phasers only."

"That will have to suffice." Axel addressed Henry, "Henry, take us to warp 6.8 on my mark."

"Aye, Captain" replied Henry.

"Lt. Soto, target the Ferengis' engines… fire!" commanded Axel.

The Comet opened fire on the marauders hitting their targets. Axel gave the signal and the ship jumped to warp.

"Cdr. Markus, can we pick up the warp trail of the Orions?" asked Axel.

"Yes, Captain. It's still strong enough to follow it."

"Henry, stay on course. As soon as we get notice from engineering, accelerate to maximum warp. Cdr. Markus, let me know if there are any vessels on long range scans" ordered Axel, and he left the bridge and went to his quarters.

* * *

**_Orion Transport, traveling at warp 8_**

LCdr. Welch was locked up in his cell. His arm was still in pain after the beating he got from an Orion guard. It had been so many years ago that he had been sold to the Orions by the Gorn pirates and he felt that he was getting to old for this.

He had felt the ongoing battle and seen through his window the starship that had been firing at them. It was an enormous vessel of a model he had never seen before, but surely it was a Federation ship. He had lost all hope of being rescued. Could it be possible that he had finally been found? What other reason could Starfleet have to send a ship after an Orion transport?

However, hope had vanished again when he had seen the ship being attacked by Ferengi marauders and then got lost out of view. He was now lying on the floor, trying to ignore the pain in his arm while clenching to his hope with all the strength he could still find. It was then that he felt the ship dropping out of warp.

* * *

**_Romulan Valdore Class Battle Cruiser "Tantahk"_**

Noma was sitting on the command chair of the Tantahk, his sight fixed on the Orion transport that had dropped out of warp in front of them. He sent a signal to the Ovak and the Najar, the other two Valdore battle cruisers still cloaked on each side of the Tantahk, and commanded the 8 Birds of Prey to spread away.

He had been planning this ambush for long enough and now that the bait was here he didn't need it anymore. On his command, the 3 Valdore battle cruisers de-cloaked and opened fire, turning the Orion transport into a mass of debris and wreckage.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

_Captain's log, supplemental_

_It's been 3 hours since the encounter with the Ferengi. It is strange to see them attacking a fully armed Federation vessel, as they usually only raid derelicts and try to stay neutral in warfare._

_I believe this hasn't been a casual encounter, but maybe it was a diversion organized by the Orions to allow their transport to escape. Still, I sent notice to Starfleet Command so they can investigate with the Ferengi Alliance what is the real purpose behind their attack on the Comet._

Axel returned to the bridge, after being called by Cdr. Markus.

"Yes, Commander?" he asked.

"Captain, sensors just picked up weapons fire signatures ahead."

"The Orion?" asked Axel.

"Sir" said Jenna, "I'm picking up a distress call from the Orion transport."

"All stations, red alert." He paged Cdr. Peterson, "engineering, how are we doing with the repairs?"

"Warp drive fully operational, forward photon and quantum torpedoes are back online. Aft torpedoes still need time."

"That will do. Henry, maximum warp" ordered Axel.

"Captain" said Cdr. Markus, "the Ferengi are closing in again, bearing 186-mark-27."

"Fire aft phasers as soon as they're close enough. We must get to the Orion transport fast" commanded Axel.

As soon as the Ferengi were within fire range, the Comet opened fire. The marauders returned fire, but one of them was blown up by a direct hit from the Comet's phasers.

"Captain, we've reached the Orions. Dropping out of warp" announced Henry.

The ship changed to impulse, as well as the remaining 3 Ferengi ships, both ends still firing. Axel saw the wreckage of the Orion transport and his heart sank.

"Cdr. Markus, any survivors?" he asked.

"I'm detecting 5 life signs onboard: 1 Orion, 2 Suliban, 1 El-Aurian and… and 1 Human."

The Comet shook with the impact of another missile from the Ferengi.

"Captain, we're losing aft shields" said Lt. Soto.

"We can't transport them to the Comet without lowering our shields. Henry, turn the ship around and fire quantum torpedoes" ordered Axel.

The Comet made a sharp U-turn and started retaliating against the Ferengi, who dispersed and returned fire. Then, they stopped firing and warped out.

"Captain, they are retreating" said Cdr. Markus.

"Stand by to transport the survivors aboard" ordered Axel.

* * *

**_Romulan Valdore Class Battle Cruiser "Tantahk"_**

"Sir, they are lowering shields" said a Romulan to Noma.

"De-cloak and fire torpedoes" ordered Noma.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

"Transport is complete" announced Cdr. Markus.

"Scan the debris and tell me what happened" said Axel.

"Sir, a ship is de-cloaking, bearing 65-mark-80." said Cdr. Markus.

Axel didn't have enough time to react when the Valdore battle cruiser shot 3 torpedoes, which hit directly on the starboard side of the saucer breaching it and severely damaging the hull. Another torpedo hit the starboard nacelle disabling it.

"Charge shields and weapons!" ordered Axel. "Return fire!"

"Shields are back online but we won't resist much" said Lt. Soto.

"Incoming transmission, Captain" said Jenna.

Axel nodded and Jenna put it on screen. Noma was standing in a solemn way and had a smile of triumph across his face.

"We meet again, Captain" he said calmly.

"Noma…" said Axel.

"You won't resist another attack. You are outgunned and your ship is heavily damaged. Surrender now and we may spare the rest of your crew. I'll be expecting you to come by shuttle to my ship."

"Like I know you will keep your promise."

"We're not alone" said Noma, and Cdr. Markus announced that there were two more Valdore battle cruisers de-cloaking. "On a single command from me, we will open fire and you will all be destroyed. You have 10 minutes to comply."

The transmission ended. Everyone stared at Axel, unsure of what he would do next. He motioned Cdr. Markus to follow him and then they left the bridge.

"Captain, what are you planning to do?" asked Cdr. Markus after a while.

"First, we must go to sickbay. I want to make sure LCdr. Welch is ok."

"We can't fight, and we can't run."

"We can't run, but we sure can fight" replied Axel as they entered sickbay.

Axel saw him, lying on a bed, heavily bruised and with white hair longer than he remembered and extremely dirty. Dr. Duvak was next to him administering some sort of serum.

"Well, look at you, what a surprise, Axel?" said LCdr. Welch, trying to sit upright.

"Stay down, sir. You need to rest" said Axel.

"Don't 'sir' me, Captain" said LCdr. Welch with a smile. "I'm no longer your superior officer."

"Glad to see you alive, Mr. Welch" replied Axel, but with a grim look.

"Thanks to you. Are we going back to Earth? I could really use a shower."

"Just rest" said Axel. "You will be alright."

Dr. Duvak gave him a sedative and Axel turned around. There were lots of people in sickbay, survivors from the recent attack. He also saw an Orion female unconscious on a bed and an El-Aurian with a bandage draped around his head. The two Sulibans seemed to be mostly ok and were helping Amy and the rest of the medical staff in aiding the injured.

"So, what's your plan?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"Who said I had a plan?" replied Axel.

"You don't plan to surrender, do you, Captain?"

"No, but we will give one hell of a fight." He paged Cdr. Peterson. "Engineering, can we reroute power to weapons?"

"Sir, are you planning to attack?"

"No, I plan to defend the ship. Do you think you can arm a quantum torpedo?" asked Axel.

"Why, Captain?"

"Here's what I want to do."

* * *

**_Romulan Valdore Class Battle Cruiser "Tantahk"_**

"Sir, a shuttle has left the Federation vessel and is approaching us" said one of the Romulans next to Noma. "What should we do?"

"Open the shuttlebay and let it in" ordered Noma. "I will go to you."

The transmission ended and Noma rose to his feet. He followed the shuttle on screen while it traveled towards the Tantahk. The Comet was staying still as a ghost ship not far away, its hull showing the scars of heavy damage from the torpedoes. He turned around, ready to go to the shuttlebay, when there was a big explosion.

The Tanthak was split in half, the bridge was on fire and the shock of the explosion had sent him flying into the handrail behind the command chair. He knew that the rest of the ship was about to explode, and then the bridge vanished and he saw the transporter room of the Najar materializing before him as he was transported into it.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

"Detonation successful, Captain" said Lt. Soto.

"Henry" said Axel, "set a course to the nearest starbase."

" Plotting course now, Captain" said Henry.

* * *

**_Romulan Valdore Class Battle Cruiser "Najar"_**

Noma barged limping into the bridge, grabbed the captain of the ship, tossed him aside and sat down.

"All ships, attack now!" he yelled, as he saw on screen the wreckage of the Tantahk explode dispersing debris all over.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

"Captain! Multiple ships de-cloaking"

"Henry, get us out of here!" ordered Axel.

The Romulan starships de-cloaking began firing at the Comet, just when it engaged warp and left the battle site.

"Captain, Romulan ships are in pursuit" announced Cdr. Markus.

"Can we gain more speed?" asked Axel.

"We're pushing warp 6.9, Captain" said Henry. "We can't do much better with the damage we've suffered."

"Sir" said Cdr. Markus, "the Ferengi are back!"

The three D'Kora marauders began catching on the Comet and fired at it. In the middle of them was the Najar, which fired a set of torpedoes which hit directly on the port nacelle. The Comet, having its last nacelle disabled, dropped out of warp.

"Henry, intercept course!" ordered Axel. "Lt. Soto, fire quantum torpedoes!"

As soon as the Ferengi and the Najar dropped out of warp, the Comet began firing, disposing another Ferengi marauder. More Romulan ships de-cloaked and began firing as well.

"Captain, we're losing shields!" yelled Lt. Soto.

"Captain, there are two Federation vessels approaching, one is the Paladin" announced Cdr. Markus.

Axel stood up and saw the Nebula Class starship dropping out of warp and firing from behind at the Romulans. Following it closely, the Galaxy Class USS Venture shot a burst of torpedoes at the other Valdore ship, the Ovak.

"Concentrate fire on the lead ship" ordered Axel.

The Comet fired at the Najar, as Henry engaged evasive maneuvers and evaded the blast of the explosion from a Romulan Bird of Prey.

"The Ferengi marauder is pulling away" said Cdr. Markus.

"Let him go, stay on the lead ship" replied Axel.

"Sir, direct impact to out photon torpedo launcher" said Lt. Soto, as the Comet shook with the force of the blast from a Bird of Prey.

"Full power to shields!"

They saw then as the USS Venture separated its saucer section from the secondary hull, each moving off in a different way and both firing at the Romulans.

"Nice trick!" said Axel.

"Captain" said Cdr. Markus, "the Romulans are engaging warp; they're moving off."

They saw the only 3 remaining Birds of Prey and the Najar warping out of the site of battle. The USS Venture reattached both sections of the ship and Axel sat down on his chair again.

"Captain, we're being hailed by the Paladin" said Jenna.

"On screen."

"I thought I told you to stay out of trouble, Captain" said Adm. Vargas, smiling at his son.

"Perfect timing, father" said Axel smiling back. "We were getting one hell of a beating here."

"Yes you were. Good fortune that Cpt. Stanley and I were nearby patrolling the Romulan Neutral Zone and picked up the weapons fire."

"At least we fulfilled our mission" said Axel, "as we managed to rescue LCdr. Welch."

"We will tow you to Starbase 39-Sierra. There we can make repairs on the Comet" said Adm. Vargas. "I would also like to ask you if I can come aboard, along with Cpt. Stanley. We would like a briefing of the encounter."

"It will be an honor to have you aboard. We'll be expecting you at the shuttlebay" agreed Axel.

"We'll be there in a few minutes" said Adm. Vargas, and he ended the transmission.

* * *

**_Romulan Valdore Class Battle Cruiser "Najar"_**

Noma was enraged. He had been thwarted once more by the Federation and his anger was over the scales this time. He had almost had the Comet destroyed, but he hadn't counted on two powerful starships dropping by at the precise moment that the tide of the battle could be turned over.

He had taken command of the Najar and ordered to engage pursuit course of the coward Ferengi that valued more his life than his promise. When they had caught up with them, he had ordered that they disabled the marauder's engines and now Wark, captured, was sitting on a chair in Noma's quarters.

"You betrayed me, you broke our deal" said Noma with a menacing tone of voice.

"I don't intend to die in a worthless cause. This is your war, not mine."

Noma punched the Ferengi again, and saw him fall to the floor.

"You will regret this" he said in anger.

"You can't enjoy latinum if you're dead" said Wark, spitting blood on the floor.

"No" agreed Noma, taking out his disruptor, "you can't" and he shot Wark in the head.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

After a brief visit to sickbay (Axel's mother had also come aboard and wanted to assist with the injured), Axel, Cpt. Stanley and Adm. Vargas were in the ready room. Axel had just finished recounting the events of the battle. The Venture and the Paladin were towing the Comet with their tractor beams and were now heading to Starbase 39-Sierra at warp 4.

"I don't think the Ferengi Alliance is directly involved with all this" said Adm. Vargas. "I wouldn't be surprised that this Wark was a mere greedy mercenary."

"I assume that the Federation will open an investigation on the Ferengi" said Axel.

"We should inform VAdm. Hayes about the attack and let him make the decisions" said Cpt. Stanley. "What is important now is to get you to Starbase 39-Sierra in one piece and repair this beautiful ship."

"That's true" agreed Adm. Vargas. "We won't worry anymore about this situation for now. I don't think this Romulan, Noma, will try anything else, at least not for a while."

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, docked at Starbase 39-Sierra_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50705.9_

_Repairs on the Comet are almost complete. It has taken almost two weeks for the ship to be fully repaired, as Starfleet requested for a few refits to be made. We will now go to Rukbat III, to assist with a territorial dispute between the Tellarite colony in that planet and the Rukbatian natives that live on the tropical regions of the planet._

"Warp core is stable and ready" said Cdr. Peterson from engineering over the speaker.

"Navigation systems online" said Henry.

"What do you think we can expect from these Rukbatians?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"Let's find out" said Axel sitting on his chair. "Henry, release anchors and set course to Rukbat III, warp 7."

"Aye, Captain" replied Henry.

The Comet undocked from Starbase 39-Sierra, impulse power came online and they started to drift away. Then, the nacelles began to glow and the Comet engaged warp speed to its next destination.

* * *

[i] Bearing coordinates consist of a set of numbers, followed by a _mark_, which would be another set of numbers. These numbers measure the two 360º axis' that surround a ship: bearing 000-mark-0 is directly in front of the ship and bearing 180-mark-0 directly behind the ship. Coming about to bearing 090-mark-0 would be a sharp turn to the right or starboard. Coming about to bearing 270-mark-0 would be a sharp turn to the left or port. The second figure after the "mark" is the elevation angle. Coming about to bearing 000-mark-90 would be tilting the ship directly upwards and 000-mark-270 directly downwards.


	14. CHAPTER 10: THE GATE TO ATLANTIS

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, orbiting unexplored Class O planet, 86 ly from Earth_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50757.8_

_After one week of orbiting the planet, and finally having received the data that probe has gathered, we're ready to deploy an away team. This time, there are no dangerous insect-like monsters to ruin a brief vacation._

_Cdr. Markus has informed me that there are some old ruins on one of the islands, one of the very few pieces of dry land on this planet, and we are planning to investigate. Maybe we'll find traces of an old culture long ago extinct. Too bad that only their old decaying houses will tell us how they lived._

"The island is located very near the equator of the planet, so we better wear fresh clothes" said Axel to his away team, which consisted of Amy, Jenna, Cdr. Markus, Lt. Soto, Henry, Terry Young, Ens. Kent and Crewman Mathews (the latter two had finally gotten over their fear after the experience in The Hive). They were having a short meeting in the briefing room.

"Well, I'm planning on swimming at least once" said Amy. I'm tired of being locked away in this ship.

"Captain, we should use the Apollo instead of the transporter. That way, we will be able to go all at once and bring back any souvenirs that we deem fit" pointed out Cdr. Markus.

"Too bad there's nobody left" said Jenna. "I would've liked to meet some of them."

A few minutes later, they were in the gig, ready to detach from the main saucer section.

"Everybody ready?" asked Henry.

"Just take us down, Henry" said Axel with a smile.

They detached and the gig lowered its nacelles into flight position. Henry adjusted the entry angle and piloted the Apollo into the atmosphere.

"Entering the atmosphere… now" said Henry, and they all felt the turbulence of the gig breaking through the atmospheric layers.

"Oxygen and Nitrogen levels stable, Captain" said Cdr. Markus, while looking at the sensor readings. "Atmosphere is a perfect filter for the radiation from the system's main star."

"Just get away from your console and look at this" ordered Axel.

The view was magnificent: the ocean covered the planet as far as they could see, and there were native bird-like creatures soaring through the skies into the distance. They could see a small island, no bigger than Earth's England, growing as they got closer to it.

"Ruins are just about 2 km into the forest on the southern part of the island" announced Henry.

"We can land in that clearing near the edge of the forest" said Axel.

"Understood."

Henry swiftly landed, and they all exited the gig. Axel looked up and closed his eyes while feeling the salty sea breeze and the sunlight in his face. Every one of them began looking around and wondering with the beauty of the virgin paradise in front of them.

"I think 'perfection' is too short a word to describe this" said Amy.

"How long ago do you think the civilization that lived here disappeared?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"Only one way to find out" said Axel. "Everybody gear up, we're going for the ruins."

They all took their packages and checked their bags. Terry was ahead of them, installing flares along the path in the woods, so they could find their way back in the dark. They hadn't seen any satellites orbiting the planet, so that meant there would be no moon to cast any light during the night.

Cdr. Markus was moving along the path with his tricorder in his hand. He kept pointing in every direction and frowning from time to time. Axel noticed this and walked up to him.

"What is it, Commander?" he asked.

"There is something strange about the genome in these plants" explained Cdr. Markus. "They don't look like anything I've ever seen before, but the DNA structure resembles in a 95.6% to that of mangroves on Earth. And this strange flower bank here" he added approaching a bush full of blue sweet-scented flowers, "the DNA in this flower has a 97.7% resemblance to that of _Passiflora vitifolia_, a Hawaiian flower commonly known as Perfumed Passionflower."

"What do you think that could mean?" asked Axel, now clearly intrigued.

"Could it be possible that life on this planet had the same source as life on Earth, and that the difference in the DNA sequence is a mere evolutionary thing?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"If that's so, we're in for a serious religious turmoil back on Earth" replied Axel.

"Captain!" called Jenna, a few meters behind.

"What is it?" asked Axel, running back to her with Cdr. Markus.

"Is this…?" she began, but Axel didn't let her finish the question.

"A turtle?" he interrupted.

It was clear that it wasn't an actual turtle, not in a strict sense of it, but it was clearly related: it had a pair of flippers for arms, and a pair of short legs with fins. Its head was slightly bigger than that of an Earth turtle and it had a shell protecting it's body, which seemed to be just slightly wider than it's body.

"94.8% DNA match with a hawksbill turtle" announced Cdr. Markus, scanning it with the tricorder.

"We should get moving" said Axel. "That's the only way we'll solve this mystery."

They all kept walking, leaving the turtle-ish creature behind, and walked the last few hundred meters that were left between them and the ruins. Henry was the first to see it: an enormous obelisk, maybe two or three times taller than the Washington Monument, and at least 2 times wider. Surrounding the titanic structure, small temples and houses, now almost down to rubble, could be seen. About 500 meters away, a pyramid could be seen, smaller than one could expect a pyramid to be.

Lt. Soto swore under his breath. Jenna and Henry were speechless. Ens. Kent and Crewman Mathews had fallen to their knees, as if they had seen a god materialize in front of them.

"Please tell me I'm not hallucinating and that everyone sees the same thing I do" said Axel.

"This is quite a discovery, Captain" said Terry.

"We should begin scanning and examining the ruins" said Cdr. Markus.

"I agree" said Axel. "Cdr. Markus, you have the lead."

They began following the instructions from Cdr. Markus and, after a couple hours, they began installing the base camp in a square in front of the obelisk.

"Readings estimate that these ruins have been here for almost 100 years" announced Cdr. Markus.

"How come they're still standing?" asked Amy.

"Because they're not made of rock" intervened Terry, "at least not the big buildings."

"What do you mean?" asked Axel.

"The houses and minor temples are built out of a carbonic compound found in most rocks, but also I've detected that they have been reinforced with steel, diamond and a strange metal that doesn't show in our periodic table. As for the obelisk, and I'm guessing the pyramid too, they're entirely made of that alloy."

"That's not the funniest of all" said Cdr. Markus.

"Surprise me" said Axel.

"I'm detecting high levels of dilithium radiation about 200 meters directly below the obelisk."

The three of them looked at each other, and then looked at the obelisk towering close to them.

* * *

They had finally managed to find a door to the inside of the obelisk. After some budging and a little help from the phasers they managed to open it. When they entered, they were surprised to see the glowing pillar in the middle of it.

"There are stairs going only down" said Lt. Soto.

"Captain, we should go in front, just in case" said Crewman Mathews, and he and Ens. Kent took the lead with their rifles raised.

They walked down the stairs until they got to a tunnel entrance. It was dark inside, so Terry began setting more flares along the way.

"How long do you think this tunnel is?" asked Axel.

"If my calculations are correct, we should be getting to the pyramid through here" replied Cdr. Markus.

Minutes later, which felt like hours to them, they got to a high ceilinged room, pyramidal shaped, and full of long broken and cracked screens along the walls. The big fish, however, was in the middle of it: a 10 feet tall triangular frame, its apex crowned by a glowing red gem. A short set of stairs led the way to it.

"Ok, now I definitely don't understand anything" said Lt. Soto.

"It seems to be some kind of portal" said Terry, raising his tricorder and approaching a console in front of the triangle. "Why else would there be stairs in front of it?"

Jenna approached the console too and examined the glyphs engraved across the panels. She took out her pad and began making some notations.

"I think I can create a matrix and connect it with the UT to decipher the writing" she said. "It may take a few minutes, though. I think I recognize some similarities between the symbols in this panel and some ancient cuneiform writing."

"So, you mean that we can add this to the long list of Earth-like things we've found so far?" asked Cdr. Markus.

Terry Young was examining the frame of the triangle. He touched the metallic frame and there was a burst of light and a shockwave, which sent him flying about 6 meters away and land in his back. The wave also sent Axel, who was standing close, into the wall of stone. He felt the pain when one of the rocks scratched his shoulder.

Amy ran towards Terry, medkit ready in her hand, while everyone else looked at the triangle, which had started to emit a soft blue glow.

"Jenna, are you done with the translation?" asked Axel.

"I am now, Captain" she said. "It seems to be some sort of verse:

_Back and forth, through time and space,_

_back and forth, through water and flame._

_Present is future, thy past is ahead,_

_away from thy home, thou now shall be sent._

_From future to past, through fire and flame,_

_thou shall always remember, thou shall never forget."_

Everyone stared at Jenna, like if expecting her to say something else. When they realized that she wouldn't, Terry Young spoke up from the floor, where Amy was still tending him:

"Beautiful… but I don't know if it's because I just tried to break my link in the evolution chain by flying and my head hurts, but I still don't understand anything."

Amy couldn't help but smile at the joke, and she stood up.

"I think you're fine now" she said.

"Thanks Doc" he said and stood up.

"Jenna" began Axel, while Amy approached him to tend his wound, "please tell me there's some kind of instructions to decipher that riddle."

"That's all there is, but if you give me more time I'll finish translating the whole panel."

"Get to it" said Axel.

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

_Captain's log, supplemental_

_It is night already, as we can see through the windows in the ceiling of the chamber inside the pyramid. Jenna deciphered the panels and the terminal is now full of blinking lights. There seems to be some kind of dials that we haven't dared to touch, as they were labeled 'days', 'months', 'years'. There is one particular triangular button without a label that nobody dares to touch either, as we believe it has something to do with the triangular frame and we don't know what exactly it is._

"Sir, I'm guessing that the only thing to do is to push that button and hope for the best" said Terry.

"I think the same way, however it's too big a risk" replied Axel.

"Captain, what about we install a remote activation mechanism and take cover inside the tunnel?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"That would be a good idea" agreed Axel. "Besides, it's the only way we'll be able to figure out what's going on here."

A few minutes later, they were inside the tunnel again. A fail-safe remote activation mechanism was on top of the button: a rock tied up to a string supported by a tripod, with Cdr. Markus pointing at the string with his phaser. On Axel's command, Cdr. Markus shot the string severing it, and the rock pressed the triangular button.

The red gem on top of the frame began glowing; a burst of energy was shot to it from another gem, which was stuck to the ceiling, directly above of the frame.

"Sir, my tricorder is going nuts" said Cdr. Markus. "I'm detecting a set of chronometric particles along with trans-warp signatures."

"Captain, something is happening" said Ens. Kent.

A wave of energy began flowing from the frame and inwards. After a few seconds, the portal was complete. It had the look of glowing liquid silver, and kept moving in soft waves.

"I told you it was a portal" said Terry with a smile.

* * *

They decided to go through the portal, but only Axel, Terry, Jenna and Cdr. Markus would go in. After brief preparations and arming themselves, Axel took the first step through the gate.

"It feels more like gas than liquid" he said and then finished crossing. The others crossed behind him.

"What the…?" began Cdr. Markus.

"Er, where are we?" asked Jenna.

"Is that... water?" asked Terry.

They were standing in the middle of a room facing a glass wall. They couldn't be sure, but apparently they were underwater. Terry turned around and saw that the room had several doors, but it was empty: there was no furniture, no people, but the worst of it was that there was no gate. The others turned around and saw the same thing.

"How the hell will we get back?" asked Terry.

"If this place is related to the one where the original gate was, we will find a way to get back" said Axel.

"Captain, I'm picking up strong dilithium readings" said Cdr. Markus, looking at his tricorder. "There seems to be a warp core nearby."

"So this is a ship underwater?" asked Jenna.

Then, a young woman entered the room carrying a tray. When she saw them, she dropped the tray in shock and screamed, recoiling to a corner.

"Wait! We mean no harm" said Axel.

"Who… who are… you?" asked the woman trembling.

"My name is Axel, and these are Joe, Jenna and Terry" introduced Axel pointing at each one. He decided that it was better to leave out the titles.

"Ax…Axel, Joe, Jen…Jenna, Terry?" she repeated. "Those are strange names."

"What's your name?" said Axel, approaching slowly and stretching out a hand while smiling as friendly as he could.

The woman looked at his hand doubtful, but she then slowly stretched out her hand and took Axel's. She returned the smile shyly while she stood up. She was actually very pretty: bright blue eyes, silvery long hair (despite the fact that she didn't look a year over 25), smooth skin, pale skin and small body, draped by a sort of ornamented dress. Actually, Axel found her to be very humanlike.

"My name is Kathahinikaraga" she said.

"Nice to meet you…" said Axel, doubting.

"My brother calls me Katha" she said, helping him.

"Katha" he agreed, still smiling and holding her hand. "We're really sorry, we came from… from a long way, and we are lost."

"Are you warpers?" she asked.

"Warpers?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"Yes, travelers from the stars" she explained in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "The gods bring warpers every 100 years so we can learn from them and, one day, be as powerful as them. Our legends say that whenever they come, a leap forward in our technological maturity takes place and we will be able to return to our homeworld."

Suddenly, her eyes became very bright as she looked at the four of them, finally releasing Axel's hand, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You are… you are from Earth!" she said.

They all looked at her with amusement and surprise. How could she know all this? Axel thought for a while, thinking what to do next. He decided that, given the situation, truth was better than a lie.

"Yes. We came through a portal and appeared here. Katha, we need your help. We want to go back to our people."

"You… you can't" she said, now seeming sad.

"Please" said Jenna. "Our people will be worried, you must let us return."

"No, no, it's not that I don't let you. It's just that you can't. The portals that the gods built only go one way… and that is backwards."

"Back and forth, through time and space, back and forth, through water and flame. Present is future, thy past is ahead, away from thy home, thou now shall be sent" recited Jenna.

"From future to past, through fire and flame, thou shall always remember, thou shall never forget" finished Katha. "You know the chant. You know what it means."

"Where are we?" asked Axel.

"In our new home" said Katha. "We're in Atlantis."

* * *

Katha took them through a corridor. Terry and Cdr. Markus were skeptical about the revelation of being in a long forgotten sunken continent that was supposed to have existed on Earth several millennia ago. Axel and Jenna, however, followed Katha with expectation.

When they finally got out of the tunnel, they came into a square full of people, most of them dressed as Katha, who kept walking in all directions. They saw above that there was some kind of dome that surrounded an enormous city, completely built underwater. Terry kept rubbing his eyes, attempting to fight away what he clearly thought to be a hallucination, while Cdr. Markus grabbed his tricorder and began taking some readings.

"I saw a warper once" said Katha while looking at him. "He had an artifact much like that one, but much more… slim. It seemed like a mere glass to me, but had some weird symbols. Oh, and before him, we got a warper who claimed could teach us how to…"

"Wait" interrupted Axel, suddenly realizing something, "you said that warpers come only every 100 years. Exactly how old are you?"

"Well" she replied, blushing and turning her face around, "I'm actually 468 years old, by Earth standard."

"How… how is it that you don't age?" asked Jenna.

"It happened 600 years ago. A warper promised that we would be able to heal rapidly, so he released some sort of gas into the air. It had a secondary effect: we don't only heal fast, but age at a rate of 5% the normal aging speed, and our hairs go silver by the time we're 100."

People were beginning to look at them, noticing the difference in their clothing. Also, Axel noted that they all had the same silvery hair. Some began pointing, others ran towards them excited.

"I don't think I feel comfortable by being worshiped" said Terry.

They entered a small house and Katha closed the door behind them. A young man, also with silver hair, walked up to them.

"Katha, you're finally home. I was…" he stopped in mid-sentence and looked at the new-comers. "Who are they? Are they… warpers? Is it time already!?" he began asking, getting excited.

"This is my younger brother, Baskurithajok. But I call him Basku" said Katha, and she introduced them all.

"Wow, it's only my third time to see warpers" said Basku.

"We've been hearing about warpers ever since we got here" said Cdr. Markus. "Would you please tell me what exactly are warpers supposed to be?"

"I don't remember the legend complete, but my brother does" said Katha.

"Well, it happened about 3000 years ago" began Basku, "the gods chose our fathers to raise an alternate civilization than the one they had found on our home world. They brought us here along with most flora and fauna and promised that, if we kept peace, they would send travelers from the stars to teach us how to grow. They were our first teachers. They showed us how to build. They helped us build this city and showed us how to create a reactor with their sacred element, dilithium, so that one day we would be able to travel to the stars and return to our home… to Earth. They told us that there would come a day, when Earth would send its warpers, and they would be the last. One day we would awake from our dream and we would go back to where we belong, to become one with our people."

"Why do you call them warpers?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"Because of something that our gods told us. They said that these travelers knew about something called warp, but only the ones from Earth would be willing to show us."

"We can show you, if we show us this dilithium reactor" said Axel. "And then, we need to get back."

"I told you, Axel, you can't" said Katha. "You don't understand the chant, right?"

"No" recognized Axel.

"Your time hasn't still come. You are in our time, now. From future to past…" she began.

Realization struck Axel. They had traveled thousands of years into the past; they wouldn't be able to get back to the Comet. Or maybe they could.

"We will be able to return" explained Axel. "We will build another portal."

Basku and Katha looked at him surprised, when he took Cdr. Markus' tricorder and activated it, showing a display on the screen: the schematics that had been retrieved by the readings of the portal.

A few hours later, they were going through another tunnel. Basku was taking them to the dilithium chamber. When they got out of the tunnel they came into a chamber full of electronic devices and screens. They saw it in the middle of the colossal room: a warp reactor, bigger than any they had seen.

"Holy mother of…" began Terry. "You can actually power the whole Starfleet with this thing."

"Starfleet?" asked Basku. "What is a Starfleet?"

"I'll explain later" promised Axel.

* * *

The group had been staying at Basku's and Katha's house since they arrived to Atlantis. Basku had turned out to be very curious about life in the 24th century. He was especially interested in language skills, so obviously he and Jenna became good friends. Katha, on the other hand, was more interested in sciences, and had been asking Axel all about their travels and life in space.

Katha and Axel had started to become really close, working together along with Terry with the schematics of the portal. They had had one big revelation when Katha had taken them to the place where they worshiped the gods: a pyramid, the exact same pyramid that they had discovered in their time, shadowed by a gigantic obelisk in front of it.

Basku had explained that the obelisk was the one that held the secondary power relays, which would be put to work in the event of an emergency. The pyramid was the place where they housed the main computer, which contained all the knowledge that the gods and all the warpers so far had given them. They entered it and saw it exactly as it was in their time (except that the terminals were functioning), but there was no portal. They decided to build the portal in there, exactly where they had found it on the 24th century.

On the fourth day after they had arrived to Atlantis, they were returning to Basku's and Katha's house after having been all day working in the reactor chamber. It was night already and streets were mostly empty. They were crossing a small square when five men surrounded them, all of them with clubs in their hands.

"So, you are the warpers from Earth" said one of them.

"It is said that you have technology as we have never seen before, and you will take us 'home'" said another, spitting on the floor like if repulsed by the idea.

"Well, this is our home. So why don't you just give us the tech and die?" said the first one, apparently the leader.

They began closing in to them. Axel stepped forward.

"We don't want to hurt you" he said. "We want to go back home. Please, we mean no harm."

"Oh, but we do" said the leader, and he lunged at Axel taking him by surprise.

He felt blood on his face, coming out of the cut on his forehead where the club had hit him. His sight was blurry. He passed out just when a phaser beam stunned the leader.

* * *

Axel woke up in a soft mattress. His head was still aching and he felt something wet, a cloth maybe, pressed against his forehead. He tried to sit up straight, but someone pushed him back down and began dabbing at the wound.

"Easy, you got the worst part" said Katha with a soft voice.

"You should have seen the other" joked Axel, but he felt pain when trying to laugh.

"Oh, I saw him alright. Goyothakrejun was still unconscious when the kar'kara took him."

"Who?" asked Axel.

"The kar'kara, the peace enforcerers of Atlantis" explain Katha.

He closed his eyes and raised his hand and grabbed hers. Her skin was warm and soft to his touch. He smiled, still with his hand closed and groaned.

"How long have I been asleep?" asked Axel.

"Nearly two days" she replied. "I've been tending you ever since you returned. Your friends are ok. Nice weapons they got."

"Thank you" he said.

"For what?" she asked.

"For caring. You don't know anything about us" he said.

"I know 'you' enough" she said with a smile, placing her other hand on his cheek.

They looked at each other for a couple seconds, and then, to Axel's surprise, she bent over and kissed him. After the initial shock was over, he returned the kiss, while she lay down next to him.

* * *

Axel sat upright on the bed. He couldn't feel the sunlight, as they were so deep underwater, but he knew that it was morning already. He saw Katha, still sleeping, and he smiled. He caressed her cheek and stood up, nearly losing his balance. He walked up to a mirror and saw that the wound on his face was already healed. Whatever that liquid was, it was miraculous. He rinsed his face, put his shirt back on and headed to the living room. Terry and Jenna were already there. Cdr. Markus had gone out with Basku.

"Captain!" said Terry, when Axel came in. "Are you ok?"

"Like if I had just got been run over by a rampant bull, but mostly fine" replied Axel.

"We were worried" said Jenna.

"I'm fine, thanks. Where are the others?" asked Axel, trying to divert the conversation.

"They went to the warp core" said Terry. "They have the entire tech here, sir. We will be able to build the portal in less than 2 weeks."

"I'm learning a lot too" said Jenna. "I just went outside without the UT and I'm trying to learn their language. It is very complicated, as they use such long words for simple things, like 'shaytuj' for 'yes' and 'naghtuj' for 'no'. Oh, and if you need a bathroom you need to say kar'uytiroi pol'it carbutu'ka. Don't ask me how I had to learn that one" she said blushing.

Katha came into the living room and smiled at Axel. He smiled back and she went into the kitchen.

"Sir" began Terry, "is there…"

"We should begin sorting out what we need to build the portal" interrupted Jenna, saving Axel.

"Yes, we should" he agreed.

* * *

A couple weeks later, the portal had been finished. Terry and Jenna had been recruiting assistants to improve the speed of the construction. They had also needed to teach them how to reconfigure and operate the warp core to function. Axel learned from the library history books (Katha had helped him get access) that the whole city was built on top of a platform, with warp nacelles already built onto it. It was only a matter of adjusting the plasma conduits and rerouting the energy to the nacelles.

The night before the date that they intended to return he was awake, watching Katha asleep in his arms. He felt that somehow this was wrong. Maybe he could ask her to come with him, her and Basku. They could live on the Comet. Axel had never thought about having a family, but there was something about this shy girl. Yeah, she was a few centuries older than him, but so what?

He heard his combadge beeping. He stretched and tapped it.

"Axel here" he said. Katha stirred a bit.

"Captain" said Cdr. Markus. "We have a situation. Can you meet us in the living room?"

"On my way."

Axel slowly slipped out of the bed, kissed Katha on the forehead and went outside, putting on his shirt on the way.

"Sorry to disturb you" said Cdr. Markus. Jenna and Terry were also there. "It's about the warp core and the portal."

"What is it?"

"The plasma containment chamber was built with different technology than ours. There aren't many records so we tried to reconfigure it, and we succeeded" said Cdr. Markus.

"But?" asked Axel.

"But if we power up the portal, the core is already providing enormous amounts of energy to power the city. Powering the portal takes almost twice the power to go to warp 5…" began explaining Terry.

"Get to the point" said Axel.

"We have discovered that the city is powered not only by the warp reactor, but also by energy that emanates from an underwater volcano. If we power up the portal, we risk overloading the warp core and rendering it useless for warp travel, and also activating the volcano which would surely destroy the city."

Katha sank to the floor. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop; she just wanted to see where Axel had gone. They would leave, and it would all be over.

"We can't do that…" said Axel.

Katha opened her eyes in surprise. Was Axel really willing to sacrifice his life in the future, so they could travel to the stars?

"You don't have to" she said, coming into the room.

"Katha?" asked Axel, surprised.

"Sorry. I heard you talking" she apologized. "We are ok here. You have a life in the future."

Axel was about to reply, when the ground began shaking and a loud alarm began sounding.

"What's going on?" asked Axel over the noise.

"It's a quake!" said Jenna.

"Sir" said Cdr. Markus, "someone has accessed the warp core chamber. It is overloading!"

"What's happening?" asked Basku, coming into the room.

"The volcano under the city is going to erupt. The warp core is overloading, we will face a core breach if we don't stabilize it" said Terry.

"I'm on it" said Basku, and he left the house before they could stop him.

They all went outside. People were running back and forth. Fires were starting all over the place. Axel felt a drop of water fall on his head, so he raised his eyes and saw in horror that the dome was cracking.

"Katha" said Axel. "We must do something."

"The resting chambers!" said Katha.

"What are the resting chambers?" asked Jenna.

"A warper long ago helped us build them. If something happened, we would be able to sleep until the next generation of warpers came and helped us reawake."

"We must get there, then" said Cdr. Markus. "Where are they?"

"Under the pyramid" said Katha, and they all started running.

They ran, bumping along with people who were also running, apparently, to the resting chambers. They ran for a few minutes, the ground still shaking every once in a while. When they arrived, they entered the pyramid. The gate was there, with its console powered up.

"Wait! There's something I must do" said Axel, and he ran to the console and turned the dials that read 'days', 'months' and 'years' to the date they had arrived into Atlantis. They had realized that they had incurred in a predestination paradox, so it would be better not to mess up with the future.

"It was Goyothakrejun" said Basku running towards him. "He had started the overload."

"Where is he now?" asked Jenna.

"Dead, I think. I didn't stop to find out. But I managed to stop the overload. There was severe damage, however."

"We must move, now" said Katha, after one of the panels exploded, cracking its screen.

She took them to another panel and pressed a button on it. A show of sparks jumped from the panel and a door opened on the floor, revealing a flight of stairs. They went down the stairs and found a room full of cryogenic tubes.

People were running around the room, trying to find a tube to get in. Katha took them to a set of 6 cryogenic tubes nearby and they all went inside one each. Katha made a move to close Axel's, but then she stopped, kissed him and then closed the lid. Last thing Axel saw was Katha entering the tube next to his. Then, he slept…

* * *

**_Pyramid Ruins, surface of unexplored Class O planet, stardate 50758.49_**

Amy stepped back while she saw Jenna go through the portal. Suddenly, they all heard the loud crack as the portal deactivated and split in two pieces.

"No!" yelled Amy. She ran to the portal, now in pieces, and began to cry.

"Jenna!" yelled Henry.

"What the…?" said Ens. Kent.

"What are we supposed to do now?" asked Crewman Mathews.

"First, everyone calm down" ordered Lt. Soto. "We need to assess the situation and figure out how to bring them back."

"With all due respect, Sir" said Henry, "we don't even know where they are."

"Hey!" called Ens. Kent. "Can anyone hear that?"

They made silence, as they heard a soft beep. Lt. Soto began following it and found the source: a panel on the wall had a sort of led blinking. He pressed the led and then the ground began to shake. He jumped backwards as a door began opening below him.

"Henry, bring a lantern" he ordered.

Henry came running along with the rest of the team. A set of stairs could be seen descending into a dark room. They went down the stairs and, as soon as they reached the bottom, a soft glow illuminated the room. They saw with shock that it was filled with cryogenic tubes. Amy began walking around the room and examined.

"Power has been down in most of these for years. I see many dead ones" she announced.

"Let's see if there's anyone alive" said Henry.

"Lieutenant! Over here!" yelled Ens. Kent.

They ran towards him and saw them: Axel, Jenna, Cdr. Markus and Terry. They were clad in strange clothing and fast asleep in their still working cryogenic tubes.

* * *

Axel was now holding Katha in his arms. Amy had just finished reanimating her and was talking to Basku about 24th century medicine.

"We're ok now" said Axel.

"So many died" said Katha. "It's only about 20 of us left" she added and began sobbing.

"But we are alive" he said with a smile and kissed her in the cheek.

"Axel, we should return to the Comet" said Amy. "Most of them need medical attention and I need to take them to sickbay."

"Agreed. Henry, you and Lt. Soto go to the gig. Fly over here and we'll take them all to the Comet.

He saw them going through the tunnel out of the pyramid and then squeezed Katha in his arms. Everything was going to be fine.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, leaving orbit of Atlantis planet_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50760.4_

_The atlanteans have been rescued and they are onboard the Comet. We will rendezvous with the USS Prague which will take them to Earth. Let's hope they can adapt to the new civilization._

Axel was in his quarters. He had been working on his computer while Katha slept on his bed. They had had a long discussion, but he had insisted that she couldn't stay on the Comet. He had encountered too many dangers and he couldn't risk exposing her to them. Finally, she had agreed to go to Earth, where she would enroll in Starfleet (her terms of the deal) and Axel had arranged for her to serve in an Oberth class science vessel, the USS Springfield.

A few days later, they were docked with the Prague. The atlanteans were already onboard, but Katha and Basku were still saying good bye.

"We'll go back to Earth soon and have some time together, I promise" said Axel to Katha.

They embraced each other and then they were surprised to see Jenna and Basku, not so far away, in a deep embrace. He said something to her in her ear and she blushed laughing. He kissed her hand and walked up to Axel and Katha.

"I'll miss this ship" he said.

"Feel free to come whenever you want" said Axel.

Katha gave him a soft kiss and then walked up to the airlock. When it had been sealed, both ships undocked and Axel saw the Prague moving away and then jumping to warp. He returned to the bridge and sat down in his chair. Jenna was already there, still looking slightly flushed.

"What's next, Captain?" asked Henry.

"Just, ahead" replied Axel, and the Comet engaged warp into space.


	15. CHAPTER 11: DARK REFLECTIONS

**_ISS Comet, NCC-271279, in route to Klingon space, stardate 50812.59_**

Somebody knocked on Axel's door. He opened it and Ens. Jenna Fox came in.

"Cdr. Axel Vargas, the Captain asked me to tell you to please report to the bridge" she said.

Axel stood up and straightened his uniform. He got out of his room and walked up to the turbolift. Ens. Jenna Fox walked up next to him and they both got into the turbolift. When the door closed, she got closer to Axel and held him closer while kissing him. He returned the gesture, caressing the skin of her back that wasn't covered by her uniform.

"You didn't show up last night" she said.

"My father had us in a meeting up until late. We are supposed to mount a surprise attack on a Klingon colony, but I keep thinking this mission is useless" said Axel.

"You should be taking command of the ship" said Jenna. "I totally think that we should be gaining the trust of the Klingons and the Cardassians, and destroy the Alliance from within."

"That's what I told my father, but he's too willing to follow the instructions of Intendant Kira Nerys and that black guy from the other universe, Benjamin Sisko. I know that the ISS Defiant is a fine addition to the Resistance's fleet, and it was a key piece for the capture of the Terok Nor base, but we should be using it to destroy the Regent and not to find small targets."

They arrived to the bridge and they both walked out. Jenna went to take up her post in communications and Axel walked up to his father, Cpt. Rick Vargas.

"Axel, we are getting to our destination in a few minutes. I will be sending you with an armed team to the surface. Remember that you must be as stealthy as possible. We will initiate the cloaking device just before we enter Klingon space, so don't let them know we're here."

"Sir, as your First Officer…" began Axel.

"You have your orders, Commander" said Cpt. Vargas. "You may think that it would be better to use a different tactic, but the fate of the Rebellion rests in this mission."

"Yes, Sir" complied Axel.

* * *

"Father is too weak" said Axel to Amy, his sister and Chief Medical Officer, while in his quarters. "He has no will of his own and he doesn't think clearly. I wonder what mother thinks about this."

"Axel, you know that he and mother haven't spoken to each other ever since he got involved with Intendand Nerys.

"She still has a lot of power over him."

"Whatever you do, Axel, don't do anything stupid. I know it's hard for you not to, but please try" said Amy, and she left his room leaving him to his thoughts.

* * *

"I'm overthrowing my father" said Axel that night in a casual tone of voice.

"Are you being serious?" asked Jenna, while her and Axel where in bed in her room, while she caressed a scar on his chest with her fingers.

"Yes, I am" replied Axel. "My father isn't making the proper decisions, so I will overthrow him."

"You are talking about mutiny" she said, lying on her side while covering with the sheets.

"I'm talking about the greater good of the Resistance. We will force upon the Klingons and destroy their pathetic Regent before they realize what happened. We have, after all, one of the most powerful ships in the fleet."

"If your father finds out what you're planning…"

"How will he? Are you going to tell him?"

She kissed him for all response.

"I thought so" he said, and embraced her again.

A few hours later, Axel was with about 15 men in the shuttle bay. He was explaining his plan to the people he knew to be loyal to him and they seemed to agree.

"Back in the 22nd century, the Terran Empire managed to acquire a powerful ship from the other universe's future, the original Defiant, and Empress Sato used it to assert her rule over the Empire. Almost one and a half century later, a Vulcan took over, and with his silly logic and attempts of peace he made the Empire weak and so it was that the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance enslaved humanity and the weak minded Vulcans, and the Empire lost a lot of territories.

"It was like that for a whole century! But we managed to deliver ourselves and recover our strength. We did have help from people from the other universe, but we managed to build our new ISS Defiant and recovered Terok Nor. Now we have the chance to do our part of history. We should go to the Regent himself and kill him!"

The men with him cheered and Axel looked at Jenna, who was standing in the back. She smiled at him, and he nodded.

* * *

Cpt. Vargas was looking at some data in the monitor in the ready room, when he heard turmoil on the bridge. We went outside, phaser gun in hand, and found Axel pointing his own gun at him, as well as at least 4 more crewmen. He saw that his bridge officers were all at gunpoint. LCdr. Joe Markus, his Chief Science Officer, was dead on the floor.

"Sorry father, but it is time for a change in command" he said. "Please, drop your weapon."

"Axel, would you really do this to your father?" asked Cpt. Vargas.

"Yes, because you're weak, and I'm not. It's time you give me some credit."

Axel ordered his men to escort his father to the brig and he sat down in the command chair. Jenna came close to him and he kissed her hand.

"Go to your station. We'll change course" said Axel.

He began fumbling with the buttons in the armchair and then pressed the one that would allow him to address the whole ship:

"Attention all stations, my father has been relieved from command. I'm in command of this mission now. We will change our course and head straight into Kronos. We will use the weapons in this warship to destroy the Klingon capital from orbit and, therefore, destroy Regent Worf and his people."

Axel smiled and turned to Ens. Henry Fox, Jenna's twin brother.

"Ensign, take us to Kronos" he ordered.

"Yes, Sir" acknowledged Henry, and he adjusted their course.

* * *

Cpt. Rick Vargas was locked up in the brig. He couldn't believe that his son had actually started a mutiny against him. He was trying to assess the situation to find a way out when he saw Amy walking into the brig. The guard by his cell blocked her way, but she insisted.

"I need to check on him and verify that he is not hurt" she said and then smiled coquettishly. "You'd be a good man and let me through?"

He looked at her, doubting, and then smiled and allowed her to enter. She walked up to her father and embraced him.

"I can't believe Axel did this to you" she said in a whisper.

"So, you're not with him?" he asked also whispering.

"Are you crazy? I would never back him up in something like this" she said, offended. "I told him not to do anything stupid."

"I wonder if Ens. Fox had anything to do. Jenna has had a very erratic behavior lately, and you know she is involved with Axel."

"I don't think that opportunist slut has the necessary nerve for something like this" said Amy sourly. "I'm afraid this is all Axel's doing."

Amy looked at the guard outside, he was checking at some readings in a computer terminal. She took a phaser gun out from her medkit and handed it to his father.

"You'll need this" she said, and then she exited the cell leaving him astonished. A few hours later, he had an idea.

When the guard went to check on Cpt. Vargas, he saw that he was unconscious. He opened the door in alarm and pressed his combadge.

"Brig to sickbay!" he said.

Cpt. Vargas then rose to his feet and stunned the guard. He ran to the door and escaped the brig as fast as he could. He needed to stop the Comet from getting to Kronos or it would be too late.

Axel was on the bridge. They were already in Klingon space and they hadn't been detected due to the cloaking device.

"Sir, we will be arriving soon" said Henry.

"Perfect. When we get there…" began Axel, but he stopped talking when the ship began dropping out of warp.

"ENSIGN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" yelled Axel while walking towards Henry, who recoiled in fear.

"It wasn't me, Sir, I swear!" he said. "Somebody manually disengaged warp drive."

"Captain, cloaking device is being deactivated!" announced Lt. Kent, from Tactical.

"Re-engage cloak!" ordered Axel.

"Not possible, Sir, somebody has entered a manual override and locked out the systems" he replied.

"Cdr. Peterson, what's going on down there?" asked Axel contacting engineering from his armchair.

"Cdr. Peterson is unconscious" said the voice of Lt. Terry Young. "He appears to have been stunned."

Axel had a bad feeling, so he walked towards the turbolift.

"Jenna, you have the bridge" he said. "Henry, you better get back navigation control and get us the fuck out of here before the Alliance shows up."

He entered the turbolift and went straight to the brig. He was enraged when he saw it empty. He reanimated the guard who began sitting upright while rubbing his chest.

"Sir" he said, "he was armed. I think it was your sister."

"My sister?" asked Axel.

"She came to see him. She said that she needed to examine him."

"Don't tell me you didn't watch over them!"

"Sorry, Sir, I got distracted."

Axel punched the guard strong in the head, knocking him out again. He paged the bridge:

"Jenna, I need internal sensors to scan for my father. I must go first to sickbay."

"Are you ok?" asked Jenna, sounding worried.

"Yes… I am" he said and left the brig.

Amy was giving some instructions to Dr. Duvak when Axel came into sickbay. He stunned Dr. Duvak and then pointed his gun at his sister.

"Mother would be ashamed" she said, not even bothering.

"She already is. Why do you think she left us?"

Axel's combadge beeped and he tapped it. Jenna's agitated voice could be heard.

"Captain! Klingon warships inbound! There are six of them in total!"

"Do we have weapons?" he asked.

"So far we do. Also Henry has recovered navigation."

"We won't run! Fire!" he yelled. He then stunned Amy and left sickbay on his way to the bridge.

Four Klingon Birds of Prey and two D-7 battle cruisers were closing in to the Comet. With a swift maneuver, the Comet fired phasers and torpedoes, dispatching one of them. The remaining attackers began retaliating with their entire weapon array, keeping erratic patterns around the Comet.

Axel came into the bridge, just when Lt. Kent was announcing the loss of starboard shields.

"Warp us out of here!" ordered Axel while Jenna stood up from the chair. He sat down and Henry maneuvered the ship to get a clear space and engaged warp speed.

"Captain, we have two Cardassian ships in pursuit, bearing 145.9-mark-10 and 147.8-mark-12" said Henry.

"Accelerate to warp 8!" ordered Axel. "Get aft torpedoes and phasers ready."

"Captain" said the crewman at the sensors terminal, "I've found the reading of your father's signature. He is in engineering."

"Engineering" Axel paged Terry Young, "Lt. Young."

There was no response. Axel sat up and signaled Jenna to take his place. He went to the turbolift but he ran after him and entered it with him.

"Don't be reckless! Be careful Axel" she said.

"Nothing will happen to me. I'm stronger than him!"

She kissed him and then he exited the lift as they arrived to engineering. She took the lift back to the bridge. A few seconds later, he heard the explosions outside: seemed to be that the Cardassians, and maybe the Klingons, had caught up with them. He walked over the unconscious crew from engineering, and saw Lt. Young, still alive but badly injured.

"Drop your gun, Axel" he heard his father's voice behind him.

"You're going to kill me, father?" asked Axel, standing up and turning around, his phaser gun still in his hand.

"You disappointed me, Axel" he said. "I thought you would be a fine leader of the Resistance's fleet one day."

"Oh, I will" said Axel. "I'm planning on restoring it's old glory to the Terran Empire."

The ship shook with an explosion from the firefight still going outside. Both of them fell to the floor because of the impact and sparks began to shower them. Bursts of electricity were now being emitted by the warp core. Axel lunged towards his gun but his father tackled him. He punched his father in the face as he tried to hold him still.

Cpt. Rick Vargas fell to the floor and Axel reached for his gun again, but his father made a move with his legs and made him lose balance. Axel tried to stand up but he heard his combadge beeping. The ship kept shaking while he tapped the combadge:

"What is it?" he asked, while dodging a punch from his father.

"There's an ion storm straight ahead!" said Jenna.

"Go through it!" yelled Axel, landing a blow to his father's head, knocking him out. "I'm on my way" he said and went to the turbolift.

The Comet dropped out of warp as soon as they were near the ion storm. When the three remaining attacker vessels had seen what they were trying to do they pulled away, and the Comet entered the storm alone just as Axel entered the bridge.

"Sir, they disengaged pursuit" said Lt. Kent.

"Good, as soon as we get out of here go to warp speed."

"Sir" said Henry, "systems are beginning to fail, we've lost shields, and I'm losing warp drive."

"Just get us the hell out of this storm!" yelled Axel.

Henry nodded maneuvered the ship blind, as the screen was full of white noise. As they got out of the storm, the navigation console began to spark and they felt the engines go still. The screen began clearing out and they all rose in surprise to what they saw.

"Is that…?" began asking Jenna.

"Impossible…" cut her Axel.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50813.2_

_We've been sent by Starfleet to investigate a space disturbance near the Klingon border. So far our sensors only pick up interference, so we haven't been able to run a full scan. It worries us that it may be a space anomaly related to transwarp signatures, and so far we only know of one species capable of projecting those kinds of readings: the Borg._

Axel returned to the bridge in a hurry. Cdr. Markus had been very anxious when he paged him, and now it was clear why: a starship had just come out of the space disturbance; a Sovereign class starship with the name ISS Comet engraved on it, with its nacelles powered down.

"What the hell?" asked Axel.

"Sir, they are not from our universe" said Cdr. Markus.

"What do you mean by 'not from our universe'?" asked Axel.

"We've had reports since the 23rd century of contacts between parallel dimensions. Some have been friendly and some have been hostile, we should be on our guard."

"Power up shields. Jenna, open a channel" ordered Axel.

A blurry image started to appear on screen. At first Axel could only see distorted shapes.

"This is Cpt. Axel Vargas, from the Federation Starship USS Co…" he went silent, when the image gained focus and he saw his own face looking at him.

"Nice to meet you, or me?" his reflection spoke in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"What's your purpose?" asked Axel.

"We were being attacked by Klingons and Cardassians from the Alliance" said the mirror Axel. "We need your help, as we are you and you seem to be us. We didn't expect to come to your dimension."

Axel turned to Cdr. Markus and then looked at his counterpart again.

"We would like to invite you onboard. You can take one of your senior officers."

"We will travel by shuttle in 10 minutes" agreed mirror Axel and the transmission ended.

"I want all data about this parallel universe" said Axel as he turned to Cdr. Markus. "Transfer it to my ready room immediately" he commanded and went to the ready room.

* * *

**_ISS Comet, NCC-271279_**

Axel tossed his unconscious father into his cell again. He stirred a bit and Axel closed the door.

"Nobody gets in the cell except for me" he ordered the guard, and he left the brig to meet Jenna in the shuttle bay.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

"Captain" said Cdr. Markus when Axel returned to the bridge, "we're not sure, but I just ran a complete scan on the ISS Comet and one of the bio signatures matches that of your father's."

"That's not possible" he said. "Keep a lock onto it and stand by. Lt. Soto, please accompany me to the shuttle bay."

Axel and Lt. Soto went the shuttle bay and saw the shuttle from the ISS Comet land inside. The mirror Axel came out, followed closely by a Jenna Fox clad in a very revealing uniform.

"So… isn't this strange?" asked mirror Axel with a smirk and stretched out his hand.

"It is indeed" agreed prime Axel when shaking it.

"Good to see you alive, Lt. Soto" said mirror Axel.

"Am I not in your ship?" asked Lt. Soto.

"In our universe, you were abducted, tortured and killed by the Klingons about three years ago. Sorry about that" said mirror Jenna.

"Now that's unfortunate" replied Lt. Soto grimly.

They walked together into the Captain's private dining room, as prime Axel had requested for a meal to be served.

"Hope you like pesto spaghetti" said prime Axel. "It's actually…"

"My favorite" ended mirror Axel.

They began eating and, after a few minutes of silence, mirror Axel began recounting the mission in which they had been involved, trying to find a diplomatic solution for the conflict between the Resistance and the Alliance. Prime Axel listened carefully, always feeling that his counterpart wasn't giving them all of the details. He also couldn't help but notice the way that mirror Jenna kept staring at him, with eyes filled of both interest and lust.

"We would really appreciate your assistance with the repairs on our Comet" said mirror Axel, as they walked back to the shuttle bay after having dinner.

"We will send a team to your ship to help you with the work" said prime Axel.

When they got to the shuttle bay, mirror Axel and Jenna got inside the transport to go back to their ship. When they were back in space he turned to look at her.

"Was it really necessary that you looked at him that way all along?" he asked.

"Well, you have to understand, having one of you is one thing, but the idea of two…" she said playfully.

* * *

Axel and Lt. Soto returned to the bridge. He could see the shuttle approaching the ISS Comet through the screen.

"Cdr. Markus, lock on to my father's signal and beam him aboard. Jenna, send notice to sickbay just in case."

"We have him" said Cdr. Markus.

"I'll go to him. You have the bridge, Commander" he said and he took the turbolift.

* * *

**_ISS Comet, NCC-271279_**

"Sir" said the crewman at the sensors station when Axel came in, "I've detected a power signature at the brig."

"What?" asked Axel and he paged the brig.

"Sir, the cell is empty. I don't understand!" said the guard over the comlink. "Nobody has come into the brig."

Axel was enraged. He hadn't expected this to happen.

"Lt. Kent, do we have weapons?" he asked irate.

"Yes, Sir, we've managed to restore power to weapons, shields and impulse while you were away."

"Good… now target those bastards… and fire on my command."

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

Axel was in sickbay, standing next to the parallel counterpart of his father. He had been severely injured and had a punctured lung by a broken rib. Amy had explained that he hadn't allowed her to tend him, and that he wanted to speak to him alone.

"I'm aware that you are not strictly my son" said Cpt. Rick Vargas.

"You are my father, no matter which universe you come from. My genes are yours" replied Axel.

"You're so different from my son" he said with an attempt of smile. "You are so noble, and he tried to kill me for power. He took over my ship and compromised our mission."

"Allow us to cure you, so we can send you back to your universe."

"No, my duty there is over. Now leave me, Captain. My son will soon find out about my absence."

A blast was heard and the ship shook with the impact of the attack.

"I think he already did" said Axel and he left to the bridge.

"Direct hit to decks 12 and 13!" said Jenna, when Axel ran into the bridge.

"Fire phasers, but only disable their weapons!"

The ISS Comet made a pass crossing below its prime counterpart and fired a burst of phaser beams to the secondary hull. The USS Comet ship shook with the impact.

"Sir, their weapons seem to be better than ours. They're penetrating the shield and we're taking damage!" said Lt. Soto.

"Fire torpedoes! Target their weapons now!" ordered Axel.

The weakened shields of the ISS Comet couldn't resist the burst of torpedoes launched by its prime counterpart, which hit directly on its mark.

"Hail them!" ordered Axel as he sat back on his chair.

* * *

**_ISS Comet, NCC-271279_**

"Captain, we just lost weapons!" said Lt. Kent.

"They're hailing us" said Jenna.

"On screen" said Axel.

"Captain, your ship is no longer fit for combat. I invite you to come aboard and negotiate the terms for a ceasefire" said prime Axel, when the link was established.

"I will never give up" said mirror Axel. "We will eventually destroy you."

"We are not your enemy" said prime Axel, but his counterpart ended the transmission.

"Lt. Kent, activate the autode…" began mirror Axel, but he was stopped by a phaser beam that hit him on the chest, stunning him.

Jenna screamed and rose to her feet, but mirror Amy fired again and stunned her as well. She came out of the turbolift followed by an armed escort. Another group of men came out of the other turbolift and they all placed themselves around the bridge.

"Take the rebels to the brig" she ordered. "I'm assuming command. Someone hail the other Comet."

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

Axel was pacing around in front of his chair trying to decide what to do next. He decided to send a boarding party and was about to give out the order when Jenna looked up.

"Sir, they're hailing us."

"On screen!" he said, running back to his chair.

"Hi… brother, sort of" said mirror Amy when she appeared on screen.

"Amy?" asked Axel.

"I've retaken the ship. Now I'm in command. I would like to discuss an arrangement with you. Don't worry, I'm nowhere near as mad as your other self" she said smiling at him.

* * *

**_ISS Comet, NCC-271279_**

They held the meeting aboard the ISS Comet in their own briefing room.

"My brother will be taken back to Earth to be court-martialed and convicted for mutiny, as well as that lover of him" she said. "On the other hand, I would like my father to be returned so that we can treat him and he can reassume command of the ship."

"We will do that, don't worry. And we will also help you repair the damage on your ship" said Axel.

"According to our readings" said Cdr. Markus, "the space anomaly is still open and will still be for at least a day or two."

"That should suffice for the warp core to be back online and allow us to return home" said the Cdr. Peterson from the parallel universe.

They all stood up and ended the meeting.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50818.7_

_The ISS Comet has just crossed the portal back into its proper universe. It was a relief to know from my sister's counterpart that my 'father', so as to speak, was fully recovered and is back on the command chair._

_We are now moving on to Alpha Centauri, where Starfleet has kindly asked us to pick up a party of diplomats and take them to Vulcan. We're just hoping that this time things go smoothly._

* * *

**_Somewhere around the border of Delta and Alpha quadrants, near to the edge of Federation Local Space_**

_It has been many years since our attempt to assimilate Earth was thwarted in a battle that the humans now called 'The Battle of Wolf 359'. This time we will try a different approach. We have studied their history, so we now know where they're more vulnerable. This time we will strike them harder, and if everything fails, we'll try plan B._

The Borg queen felt all her drones as one. Their hive mind connection kept the collective strong. This time, there would be no escape for humanity.

Her Borg cube began moving at impulse speed and then engaged maximum warp. There was a small Federation colony on its way. Maybe they would pay a visit first.


	16. CHAPTER 12: SECTOR 001 - AFTERMATH

**_Ivor Prime Colony, stardate 50892.73_**

The colonists of Ivor Prime had been going around as usual. They hadn't been expecting the tide of their lives to turn so fast.

It was late at night when the communications center picked up the call. They only heard the words once and fear ran through their bodies:

_"__We are the Borg. Resilience is futile."_

It was a few minutes later that the Deep Space 9 space station lost contact with the colony.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, traveling at warp 9 to Earth_**

_Captain's log, stardate 50893.1_

_We have just been briefed by VAdm. Hayes, that the colony on Ivor Prime has been lost. Apparently, they were unaware of a Borg cube heading in their direction, and the settlement was completely destroyed. Unfortunately, no survivors have been recounted so far._

_Starfleet Command has tried to determine the course of the Cube and they think it's headed to Earth, so VAdm. Hayes has issued a general alarm to all Starfleet vessels nearby to assist in battle. We're supposed to rendezvous with the rest of the fleet in 3 hours to intercept the Borg in Sector 001 and destroy it before it can reach its destination._

_I have asked if the Enterprise will be joining battle, as Cpt. Picard is known to have direct experience with the Borg, and his knowledge might be useful; however, VAdm. Hayes has informed me that the Enterprise has been ordered to patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone, to avoid the Romulans to take over the chance to try any mischief._

_Adm. Jenkins has fully recovered and will be re-assuming his role in Starfleet Command, while VAdm. Hayes will be leading the assault fleet. If we fail and the Borg get to Earth before we stop them… God help us all._

Axel finished reading a letter from Katha in his ready room. She had told him that VAdm. Hayes had contacted them and had requested their support in the fight against the Borg. She had spoken about the fear she felt, as she had been briefed by her senior officer about the Borg and she couldn't believe that such danger could exist in the universe.

He got up from his chair, his heart racing, and walked out into the bridge.

"Henry, how long before we reach Sector 001?" he asked.

"We will arrive to Sector 001 in 5 hours, Captain" said Henry.

"Thank you, Henry. Jenna, issue an alert on all decks, everyone must be ready for battle. Lt. Soto, Red Alert."

The alarm went off and everyone ran to their posts. They have been informed about the Borg cube traveling at warp 9 towards Earth, so eventually they were all afraid of the incoming battle. Axel stood up and called his senior officers to the briefing room.

"Axel, do you think we can match them?" asked Amy. "If things go south, I mean, sickbay isn't big enough."

"Thank you for being so optimistic, Doctor" said Cdr. Peterson.

"She does have a point" agreed Axel. "However, we must try to keep our distance from the cube. We will fire torpedoes by manual aim only, and we must NOT get into transporter range. If we lose our shields and we get boarded, we don't know how to avoid being assimilated.

"Captain, if you allow me" intervened Lt. Soto, "this is one of the strongest vessels in the fleet. The other one is, of course, the Enterprise, but VAdm. Hayes has sent them in a useless patrol mission."

"We are no one to question the Vice Admiral's orders, Lieutenant. I also think that Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard would be of great assistance in this battle but…"

A sudden blast shook them all and interrupted Axel in midsentence.

"What the hell was that?" asked Cdr. Markus.

"Bridge! What is going on?" asked Axel through a speaker on the wall.

"We just dropped out of warp, Captain!" replied Henry over the comlink. "Seems to be an Orion battle cruiser."

They all left the briefing room and returned to the bridge. Henry Fox was trying to maneuver the ship in an erratic path, while attempting to avoid the heavy fire. Lt. Soto took his post at one of the tactical terminals.

"Fire aft torpedoes! Now!" yelled Axel.

The Orion ship dodged the attack, and fired back. The shields absorbed most of the hit, but it wasn't enough. The blast of the impact sent many crewmen rolling on the floor, when they fell from their positions.

"Direct hit to starboard nacelle, Captain!" announced Lt. Soto.

"Sir, something doesn't match here!" said Cdr. Markus.

"What is it, Commander?" asked Axel.

"I've tried scanning the ship but, there are a lot of add-ons on the outer hull. Their weapons seem to have been exponentially upgraded and… there are no Orion bio-signs onboard."

"Incoming transmission, Captain" pointed out Jenna, and she opened the channel.

A chilling voice was heard throughout the ship. It gave Axel the creeps when he heard it:

_"__We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ship. Resistance is futile."_

Everyone looked at Axel. After a few seconds, another impact snapped him back to reality.

"We've lost aft shields, Sir!" announced Lt. Soto.

"Henry, turn the ship around. We won't go out without a fight."

"Captain?" asked Henry, doubtful.

"That's an order, Ensign" he turned then to Lt. Soto. "Lt. Soto, charge all weapons and prepare to fire quantum torpedoes on my command."

The ship turned around and saw the assimilated Orion transport coming their way. Axel sat down while the crew held their breaths. They were less than 2000 meters away, when Axel gave the sign:

"Lt. Soto, target their warp core! FIRE, NOW!"

Phaser bursts erupted from the saucer, while the quantum torpedoes were launched towards the enemy ship. Readings informed that the assimilated Orion ship's shields were now down, so another set of torpedoes were launched.

"Direct impact, sir!" said Lt. Soto.

"Target their warp core! Fire!" ordered Axel.

The torpedoes and phasers shot by the Comet hit their mark. Random explosions began bursting all around the hull of the ship.

"Henry, take us out of here! Full impulse!" ordered Axel.

The Comet started gaining distance when they saw the assimilated Orion ship explode scattering the debris in every direction.

"Status report!" requested Axel.

"Enemy destroyed, Captain" said Cdr. Markus. "Casualties ascend to 20 injured, no deaths."

"Bridge to engineering" said Axel, pressing a button on his armchair, "damage report."

"Starboard nacelle has taken some damage" said Cdr. Peterson over the speaker. "It may take a while to repair."

"How long?" asked Axel.

"About 45 minutes" replied Cdr. Markus, grimly.

"We can't take that long. We must rendezvous with the fleet in Sector 001 in less than 2 hours, and we still have about one and a half hours at maximum warp before we get there."

"I can give you up to warp 7 in 30 minutes, sir. Anymore than that and we could risk overheating the nacelle and blowing it up."

"So, we're sitting ducks?" asked Axel. "Jenna, send a distress call to VAdm. Hayes. Let him know that we will be late for the battle."

* * *

**_Sector 001_**

VAdm. Hayes was on the bridge. All of the Starfleet vessels that he had been able to recruit were ready. The USS Endeavour, USS Defiant and USS Bozeman where forming a defense perimeter, with the Endeavour preparing to engage the Cube and the other two vessels reversing to a defensive position. Then, they received the transmission:

_"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."_

"All ships on intercept! Maximum warp! Attack!" ordered VAdm. Hayes.

The fleet opened fire, but the Borg cube's advanced shields kept adapting so there was minimal effect. They began returning fire and the ships closer to it began taking damage.

"Contact Starfleet Command" ordered VAdm. Hayes. "We need reinforcements."

"Sir, casualties report from the USS Lexington! They're taking heavy damage!"

"Enemy vessel has readjusted it's course, It's heading straight to Earth."

"Keep on firing" ordered VAdm. Hayes. "Contact LCdr. Worf on the Defiant and tell them to lead a small strike force. Focus on attacking the Cube."

The Defiant went straight for the Cube, along with two other vessels. One of them was destroyed by a beam from the Borg ship. VAdm. Hayes saw on screen, as his own ship persisted on the attack, how the fleet was being reduced by the Borg cube heavy fire.

A few minutes later, his ship made a pass next to the Borg cube and fired its phasers, but the Cube retaliated with a strong cutting beam.

* * *

**_USS Enterprise-E, NCC-1701-E_****_[i]_**

Cpt. Picard entered the bridge, as Counselor Troi had just informed him of the fleet having engaged the Borg.

"Data, put Starfleet frequency one four eight six on audio" he said.

"Aye, Sir" replied LCdr. Data.

They heard the transmissions from the fleet on speakers:

_"__Flagship to Endeavor. Standby to engage at grid A-fifteen. ...Defiant and Bozeman, fall back to mobile position one. ...Acknowledge. ...We have it in visual range. A Borg cube on course zero point two one five, speed warp point nine six."_

_"__We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."_

_"__All units open fire. ...They've broken through the defence perimeter. ... Continue to attack. ...We need reinforcements. ...Ninety-six dead and twenty-two wounded on the Lexington."_

Cpt. Picard knew that the fleet would not hold for long. He knew that there was only one way to end the threat:

"Lt. Hawk, set a course for Earth" he ordered.

"Aye, Sir" acknowledged Lt. Hawk.

"Maximum warp", he added and then he turned and addressed the crew on the bridge of the Enterprise, "I am about to commit a direct violation of our orders. Any of you who wish to object should do so now. It will be noted in my log."

"Captain, I believe I speak for everyone here, sir, when I say ...to hell with our orders" said LCdr. Data after a few seconds.

"RED ALERT! All hands to battle stations" yelled Cdr. Riker.

"Engage" ordered Cpt. Picard, and the Enterprise jumped to warp speed.

* * *

**_USS Comet, NCC-271279, traveling at warp 7 to Earth_**

_Captain's log, supplemental_

_We've resumed course to Sector 001. We've been following the battle through Starfleet frequency 1486, so we now know that the Borg have entered Sol System and are getting close to Earth. We also know that the Enterprise has joined in battle against the Borg. Apparently, Cpt. Picard disobeyed the Admiral's orders and engaged the Cube along with the rest of the fleet._

_We've changed course towards Earth and should be arriving in less than 5 minutes. We hope we haven't missed all the fun._

"Lt. Soto, stand-by weapons. We should join the battle as soon as we drop out of warp" ordered Axel.

"Captain" said Cdr. Markus, "I'm getting a strange reading on long-range sensors. It looks like there's a flow of chronometric particles at the site of the battle. Something is creating a temporal vortex."

"Dropping out of warp, Captain" announced Henry.

The Comet came to a halt. The sight in front of them was extremely devastating: debris was scattered all over the place. Damaged ships were adrift, and the ones that weren't so heavily damaged were flying around the battlefield towing the derelicts with their tractor beams.

"Sir, is that the Enterprise?" asked Henry.

Axel saw it too: a Sovereign Class battleship in full pursuit course of a spherical Borg ship very near Earth. They both disappeared into a sort of wormhole and vanished.

"Chronometric readings are dissipating, Captain" announced Cdr. Markus.

Axel stood in front of the screen. The devastation in front of them was terrible. The debris from the decimated Starfleet were scattered all around the space nearby Earth and there were only a few surviving ships, most heavily damaged, going around and towing the derelicts.

One of the wrecked ships, an Oberth class vessel with its saucer section destroyed beyond any hope, drifted near to them. Axel's heart sank, thinking of the USS Pathfinder and of Katha.

"Commander" he addressed Cdr. Markus, "scan that wreckage. What ship was that?"

"It's the USS Eros" replied Cdr. Markus.

"I'm getting distress call from the USS Lexington, Sir" said Jenna. "Dr. Elizabeth Lense requests for assistance. They report 96 casualties and 22 wounded onboard."

Axel sat down and pressed the comlink on his armchair:

"Cdr. Peterson, stand by to transport. Amy, get sickbay ready to assist the wounded of the Lexington."

"Sir, we're receiving messages from the USS Thunderchild and the USS Endeavour" said Jenna. "They're requesting for assistance with the damaged ships. The Defiant was assisted by the Enterprise. Apparently, LCdr. Worf left with them, but their life support systems have failed already." She was silent for a few seconds while getting another message and then looked up again with a grim face and added: "Captain… VAdm. Hayes' ship has been destroyed."

"So was the Borg cube, sir" said Cdr. Markus. "I'm picking up their debris all over the place."

Axel held his head in his hands. Then he stood up and spoke again:

"Let's do what we can to assist the rest of the fleet. Take in any distress calls that we receive, we will go around the battle zone and beam aboard as many survivors as we can. Run full scans on derelicts and find out which ships have been destroyed."

"Captain" said Jenna "the USS Grant is hailing us; audio only."

"On speaker" replied Axel. "This is Captain Vargas, of the USS Comet. We're on our way to assist you with the evacuation process and tow the Grant back to shipyards."

"Nice hearing from you, Captain! It's been a long time!" said a familiar voice on the other end.

"Daniel?" asked Axel in surprise.

* * *

A few minutes later, Axel was standing next to Daniel in sickbay. Amy had just finished patching him up and now was being assisted by Duvak with nursing another of the Grant's survivors' burns.

"When did you get transferred to the Grant?" asked Axel.

"Not so long ago. I was stationed at DS9 and I got the transfer. That was just a few days before we received the report of the loss of Ivor Prime and then notified Starfleet Command. You just missed one hell of a battle, mate."

Daniel recounted the events of the battle to Axel. He explained how the Borg targeted and destroyed VAdm. Hayes' flagship and the fleet started to suffer heavy damage. He pointed out with a lot of excitement the precise moment that the Enterprise had entered the battle and started firing at the Cube.

"We were on the verge of annihilation, and then we heard Cpt. Picard's orders. He took command of the fleet immediately. Apparently, Picard had some knowledge (God knows how) about the general configuration of the Borg cube, as he transmitted a set of coordinates for us to attack. Every non-disabled vessel, including Enterprise, began firing with everything we had, and the Cube began to burst from inside out."

"And what about the spherical thing we saw?" asked Lt. Soto, approaching them both along with Cdr. Markus."

"Well" replied Daniel, "before the Cube exploded, some sort of a hatch opened on one side of it, and that thing came out. We tried to destroy it, but it created some sort of a wormhole and entered it, with the Enterprise right behind it. They both disappeared from our sensors after the wormhole collapsed."

"It was a temporal vortex" explained Cdr. Markus. "God knows where, or should I say, when they are now."

"Daniel, this is Cdr. Markus, my First Officer, and Lt. Soto, Tactical Officer" introduced Axel. "Commander, Lieutenant, meet Lt. Daniel Royce, a very dear friend of mine from the Academy."

"Nice meeting you, Lieutanant" acknowledged Lt. Soto.

"Too bad the Grant has been rendered useless" said Daniel. "I actually kinda liked that small piece of junk."

"What were your duties on the Grant, Daniel?" asked Axel.

"Engineering" replied Daniel. "It's not maintenance department, as you so kindly predicted, but it's interesting."

"Perfect!" said Axel, smiling at the memory of the day they got their first orders at the Academy. "As soon as Amy says you're ok, you shall report to Cdr. Peterson, my Chief Engineer. You'll understand that a Sovereign Class is much bigger and complex than a small Saber Class, but I'm sure he will be able to update you."

"Thank you, Captain" said Daniel with a smile. "I'll report to duty as soon as I get green light from your beautiful Medic."

Axel laughed and turned around with Cdr. Markus and Lt. Soto.

"Axel!" someone yelled, and Axel saw her running towards him and embracing him.

His heart was racing. She had her silvery hair shorter than the last time he saw her, and she had her hand wrapped in a bloody bandage. Axel held her as close as he could, not wanting to release her.

"You're alive" he said.

"The Pathfinder suffered heavy damage, but we are mostly ok" replied Katha smiling at him and her eyes full of tears.

Axel gave her a soft kiss and then introduced her to Daniel.

"Er… nice meeting you" he said, a bit amused.

"Daniel was my best friend in Starfleet Academy. We just rescued him from his ship" said Axel.

"Nice meeting you, Daniel" said Katha.

"Katha, how's Basku" asked Axel.

"He was transported to the Madison not long before you arrived. I think he'll be fine."

"Captain" said Lt. Soto, "sorry to interrupt, but we should get back to the bridge."

"Yes, Lieutenant" agreed Axel. "You stay here" he told Katha, "I'll come back as soon as possible."

"I missed you" she said and kissed him.

"Me too" he replied and then he left to the bridge with Cdr. Markus and Lt. Soto.

* * *

The process of sweeping Sector 001, and collecting the debris from the battle all the way to Earth, was a painful one. The list of casualties was way too high, and most of the fleet involved had been destroyed. Axel had spent nearly 12 hours supervising the process of collecting survivors and assisting in any way he could.

It took them nearly 48 hours of non-stop work to tow away the debris and clear out the sector. They managed to rescue many survivors and they were taken to Earth. Axel felt tired and he was really looking forward to sleep, when he was contacted by Adm. Jenkins, who told him that he was sending the Comet on a new mission:

"We've picked up a distress call from the Valiant II outpost: they have been attacked by an unknown vessel. They had been able to destroy the attacker ship, but sustained heavy damage. You shall take a shipment of supplies and assist them with the repairs."

"Won't you require any more of our assistance, Admiral?"

"No, Captain. You've done a fine work so far. We can take it from here."

Axel informed the crew about their new assignment. A few hours later, he was with Katha in her recently assigned quarters, as she had insisted to stay onboard to help.

"No, I won't stay behind!" said Katha.

"I don't know what dangerS we will be facing" said Axel, holding her hand.

"I just survived an assault on a cyborg…" she began.

"Borg" corrected her Axel.

"…a Borg ship!" yelled Katha.

"I will come back to you as soon as we finish in Valiant II. I don't think Adm. Jenkins will oppose to us having a brief shore leave."

She turned her back on him, walked up to her bed and lay down. Axel sat next to her and embraced her.

"You are a strong woman, Katha. But I went a long way to find you and I don't intend to lose you."

She turned around and embraced him again. She made him promise to return and then pulled him to a kiss.

* * *

The next day, after Katha had been taken to Starbase 1, they had received the supplies and set course to Valiant II.

"We should be arriving to our destination in 5 days" said Henry.

"Thank you, Henry" replied Axel.

"Captain" said Jenna, "I'm getting reports around the ship of missing people, as it seems to be that some crewmen haven't reported to duty since yesterday."

"Something is wrong" said Cdr. Markus. "I don't seem to be able to control the science console. I suddenly lost control of short-range, long-range and internal scanners."

"Engineering to the bridge" said Cdr. Peterson over the comlink.

"Cpt. Vargas, here" replied Axel.

"Sir, some systems are beginning to glitch. Lt. Royce has been monitoring one of the consoles when a bunch of strange symbols began appearing on the screens."

"Put them through to our main screen" said Axel.

The symbols appeared on screen. Jenna went pale and turned around.

"Captain" she began, "those are Borg glyphs."

She had just said it when lights began to dim and a voice was heard over the speakers:

_"__Surrender your ship. Resistance is futile."_

* * *

[i] Actual transcript from Star Trek: First Contact. Credits belong to Paramaunt Pictures.


	17. COMING SOON

_**CHAPTER 13: RESILIANCE**_

* * *

_BORGS HAVE BOARDED THE COMET AND AXEL HAS TO MAKE_

_QUICK DECISSIONS IN ORDER TO AVOID THE ASSIMILATION OF THE SHIP._

_WITH THE ENTERPRISE LOST SOMEWHERE IN TIME,_

_AXEL HAS NO WAY OF GETTING ASSISTANCE FROM THE ONLY PERSON_

_THAT MAY KNOW HOW TO SAVE THE SHIP._

_WILL THIS BE THE LOSS OF THE COMET?_

* * *

Due to work and the simultaneous writing of a "Legend of Zelda" fanfiction, not to mention the fact that I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how the heck to get the Comet out of this situation (xD), it's taking longer than expected to continue this chapter.

Will update soon! I promise!


End file.
